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Saint-Nizier (Lyon)
Encyclopedia
The Church of Saint-Nizier is a church of the city of Lyon
, France
, located in the Presqu'île
, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. Its address is rue de Brest
and it is between the Place des Terreaux
and the Place des Jacobins
. Its name refers to Nicetius of Lyon
, a bishop of the city during the 6th century.
, whose worship was probably the cause of the Christian persecution in Lyon from 177. In the 5th century, according to tradition, Eucherius of Lyon
, 19th bishop of Lyon, built on the ruins of the building a basilica
to contain the relics of the martyrs in Lyon, tortured in 177. The church received the name "Church of Holy Apostles". In the 6th century, the bishops were buried in the church, particularly Nicetius of Lyon
, the 28th bishop. The body of the latter attracted a crowd and his presumed great miracles led the church to take his name.
Saint Austregisilus was abbot here during the 7th century.
In the early 8th century, the church has been ravaged by the Saracens and by Charles Martel
. It was rebuilt in the 9th century, at the behest of the bishop Leidrade. Peter Waldo
, in the 13th century, was a parishioner. His disciples, shocked by the wealth of the church, even set fire in 1253.
From the 14th century to the late 16th century, the church was gradually rebuilt. In 1562, the notables gathered in the church, and in the 17th century, the aldermen were elected in the nave. It suffered the damage caused by several bands of Huguenot
, which plundered the bishops of Lyon's tombs, then those of the French Revolution
.
After the French Revolution, the church served as flour
warehouse. In the late 18th century, the project to transform the church into a gallery was abandoned after a petition signed by 100 notables.
The sacristy was built in 1816, and the organ was installed in 1886.
The church was in the 1970s the center of a popular neighborhood. Its presence was highlighted during its occupation by some prostitutes of the neighborhood in 1975 to express their anger towards police and social harassment. This church has often been perceived as a place of refuge and hospitality in the city.
In the beginning in 1968, renovations undertaken by the management of the monument historique
and the city of Lyon began, and they ended in 1998.
portal. Among its particularities are :
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In the 17th century, theologian Bédien Morange
was cantor and canon of Saint-Nizier. In the 19th century, the parish hosted famous spiritual people such as Frederic Ozanam
, founder of the Saint-Vincent de Paul conferences, and Pauline-Marie Jaricot
, foundress of the Propagation of the Faith. The church has been directed by priests and laity of the Emmanuel Community
since 1996.
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, located in the Presqu'île
Presqu'ile (Lyon)
The Presqu’île, literally the "peninsula", extending from the foot of the Croix Rousse hill to the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers, is in the city centre of Lyon, France. It has a preponderance of cafés, restaurants, luxury shops, department stores, banks, government buildings, and...
, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. Its address is rue de Brest
Rue de Brest
The Rue de Brest is a street located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. This is one of the main shopping and tourist streets of the city center, parallel to the rue Édouard-Herriot...
and it is between the Place des Terreaux
Place des Terreaux
The Place des Terreaux is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon...
and the Place des Jacobins
Place des Jacobins
The Place des Jacobins is a square located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It was created in 1556 and a fountain was added in 1856. The square belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO...
. Its name refers to Nicetius of Lyon
Nicetius of Lyon
Saint Nicetius was Archbishop of Lyon, then Lugdunum, France, during the 6th century. He served from 552 or 553. He was ordained as a priest by Agricola, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. He was the nephew of Saint Sacerdos, bishop of Lyon, and his successor. He revived ecclesiastical chant in his...
, a bishop of the city during the 6th century.
History
The first religious building on the site of the present church was a Roman monument, perhaps a temple of AttisAttis
Attis was the consort of Cybele in Phrygian and Greek mythology. His priests were eunuchs, as explained by origin myths pertaining to Attis and castration...
, whose worship was probably the cause of the Christian persecution in Lyon from 177. In the 5th century, according to tradition, Eucherius of Lyon
Eucherius of Lyon
Saint Eucherius, bishop of Lyon, was a high-born and high-ranking ecclesiastic in the Christian Church of Gaul. He is remembered for his letters advocating extreme self-abnegation. Henry Wace ranked him "except perhaps St. Irenaeus the most distinguished occupant of that see".On the death of his...
, 19th bishop of Lyon, built on the ruins of the building a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
to contain the relics of the martyrs in Lyon, tortured in 177. The church received the name "Church of Holy Apostles". In the 6th century, the bishops were buried in the church, particularly Nicetius of Lyon
Nicetius of Lyon
Saint Nicetius was Archbishop of Lyon, then Lugdunum, France, during the 6th century. He served from 552 or 553. He was ordained as a priest by Agricola, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. He was the nephew of Saint Sacerdos, bishop of Lyon, and his successor. He revived ecclesiastical chant in his...
, the 28th bishop. The body of the latter attracted a crowd and his presumed great miracles led the church to take his name.
Saint Austregisilus was abbot here during the 7th century.
In the early 8th century, the church has been ravaged by the Saracens and by Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
. It was rebuilt in the 9th century, at the behest of the bishop Leidrade. Peter Waldo
Peter Waldo
Peter Waldo, Valdo, or Waldes , also Pierre Vaudès or de Vaux, is credited as the founder of the Waldensians, a Christian spiritual movement of the Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions of southern Europe...
, in the 13th century, was a parishioner. His disciples, shocked by the wealth of the church, even set fire in 1253.
From the 14th century to the late 16th century, the church was gradually rebuilt. In 1562, the notables gathered in the church, and in the 17th century, the aldermen were elected in the nave. It suffered the damage caused by several bands of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
, which plundered the bishops of Lyon's tombs, then those of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
After the French Revolution, the church served as flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
warehouse. In the late 18th century, the project to transform the church into a gallery was abandoned after a petition signed by 100 notables.
The sacristy was built in 1816, and the organ was installed in 1886.
The church was in the 1970s the center of a popular neighborhood. Its presence was highlighted during its occupation by some prostitutes of the neighborhood in 1975 to express their anger towards police and social harassment. This church has often been perceived as a place of refuge and hospitality in the city.
In the beginning in 1968, renovations undertaken by the management of the monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
and the city of Lyon began, and they ended in 1998.
Architecture
The church is mainly built in the Gothic style with a RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
portal. Among its particularities are :
- a cryptCryptIn architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
- Several side chapels
- The tomb of Pauline-Marie JaricotPauline-Marie JaricotPauline-Marie Jaricot was a French laywoman, the foundress of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and the Association of the Living Rosary.-Life:...
- Mosaics by Gaspard Poncet, representing the Virgin Mary and the 48 martyrs of Lyon
- A statue of the Virgin made by Antoine CoysevoxAntoine CoysevoxCharles Antoine Coysevox , French sculptor, was born at Lyon, and belonged to a family which had emigrated from Spain...
- A neogothic pulpitPulpitPulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
made after a design by Benoît - The stale of the chapter of canons
- Stained glassStained glassThe term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
es by Bégule, Gruber and Lavergne - A 17th-century clock
- A plaque about the marriage of Frederic Ozanam
Famous people
Bédien Morange
Bédien Morange , was a French theologian.He was a doctor of Sorbonne. In 1660, he became canon and cantor of the Église Saint-Nizier , then general vicar of the diocese...
was cantor and canon of Saint-Nizier. In the 19th century, the parish hosted famous spiritual people such as Frederic Ozanam
Frédéric Ozanam
Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam was a French scholar. He founded with fellow students the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul...
, founder of the Saint-Vincent de Paul conferences, and Pauline-Marie Jaricot
Pauline-Marie Jaricot
Pauline-Marie Jaricot was a French laywoman, the foundress of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and the Association of the Living Rosary.-Life:...
, foundress of the Propagation of the Faith. The church has been directed by priests and laity of the Emmanuel Community
Emmanuel Community
The Emmanuel Community is a Catholic association of the faithful, of Pontifical right, founded in 1976 by Pierre Goursat and Martine Lafitte-Catta, starting from a prayer group, belonging to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.-Aims:...
since 1996.