Historic Site of Lyons, Lyon, France

The Historic Site of Lyons was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The long history of Lyons, which was founded by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. as the capital of the Three Gauls and has continued to play a major role in Europe's political, cultural and economic development ever since, is vividly illustrated by its urban fabric and the many fine historic buildings from all periods.

The specific regions composing the Historic Site include the Roman district and Fourvière, the Renaissance district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district (slopes of Croix-Rousse), and the Presqu'île, which features architecture from the 12th century to modern times. Both Vieux Lyon and the slopes of Croix-Rousse are known for their narrow passageways that pass through buildings and link streets on either side. The first examples of traboules are thought to have been built in Lyon in the 4th century.

References:

UNESCO

User Reviews

Erik Ambarian (13 months ago)
Прекрасное место. Сердце города. Дети с удовольствием могут лазить по руинам античного Лиона.

BAS Jean-Paul (2 years ago)
Pas très bien signalé, explications effacés à cause du temps mais on imagine emplacements canalisations et cabines.

Pwell L. aus D. (2 years ago)
Not too spectacular but nice for a rest. You have to walk up some stairs opposite of the church and pass through a walkway below the residential building.

Chloé Gruet (2 years ago)
Très difficiles à trouver il faut passer sous un immeuble et avec assez peu d'indications.

Olivier Benoit (3 years ago)
Vestiges cachés dans le jardin d'une résidence, datant de l'aire galo-romaine. Ce n'est pas extraordinaire mais avec un peu d'imagination ca reste exceptionnel.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Inna_Zyu

Historic Site of the week

Kalozha Church

The Kalozha church of Saints Boris and Gleb is the oldest extant structure in Hrodna. It is the only surviving monument of ancient Black Ruthenian architecture, distinguished from other Orthodox churches by prolific use of polychrome faceted stones of blue, green or red tint which could be arranged to form crosses or other figures on the wall.

The church is a cross-domed building supported by six circular pillars. The outside is articulated with projecting pilasters, which have rounded corners, as does the building itself. The ante-nave contains the choir loft, accessed by a narrow gradatory in the western wall. Two other stairs were discovered in the walls of the side apses; their purpose is not clear. The floor is lined with ceramic tiles forming decorative patterns. The interior was lined with innumerable built-in pitchers, which usually serve in Eastern Orthodox churches as resonators but in this case were scored to produce decorative effects. For this reason, the central nave has never been painted.

The church was built before 1183 and survived intact, depicted in the 1840s by Michał Kulesza, until 1853, when the south wall collapsed, due to its perilous location on the high bank of the Neman. During restoration works, some fragments of 12th-century frescoes were discovered in the apses. Remains of four other churches in the same style, decorated with pitchers and coloured stones instead of frescoes, were discovered in Hrodna and Vaŭkavysk. They all date back to the turn of the 13th century, as do remains of the first stone palace in the Old Hrodna Castle.

In 2004, the church was included in the Tentative List of UNESCO"s World Heritage Sites.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

Historic Site of Lyons

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

The Beauty of Cinque Terre

Must-See Historic Places in Córdoba

Best of Middle Rhine Valley, Germany

Historic Site of the week

Kalozha Church

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?