© Patricia Barry 2008 A French city – Lyon 1. Background and Roman Lyon.

© Patricia Barry 2008

A French city – Lyon 1. Background and Roman Lyon


1. Its importance

• Next to Paris, Lyon is the biggest and most important city in France.


2. Geography

• Lyon is the second city of France with its 3 million inhabitants.

• The city is located in the Rhône-Alpes region, on the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône.


3. A World Heritage Site

• UNESCO has made the city of Lyon a World Heritage Site because of its uninterrupted history over the last 2000 years.

• For the whole of this time, Lyon has been a habitable, vibrant and bustling city.


4. A peninsula

• A confluence is where two rivers unite as one.

• Lyon is nearly an island, or a peninsula.


5. The topography

• The confluence provides Lyon with a unique geographic situation because the two big rivers are navigable - the Rhône from the sea. There is a high hill (Fourvière) to the West, and the peninsula between the two rivers.


6. A cross-roads

• Lyon is a cross-roads for rail, road, river and air traffic. It is also a big industrial and commercial centre.

• These are good reasons why Lyon has always been, and is still today, an important city.


7. A unique situation

• Its location has allowed the city to expand from the West to the East over twenty centuries – from the Roman city, to the suburb of la Fourvière, through Old Lyon of the Middle Ages, the 19th century town on the peninsula, and to the modern city heart in Part Dieu.


8. Roman Lyon

• The Romans built their city of Lugdunum (hill of light) on the hill in the West called nowadays « La Fourvière ».

• This was the capital of ancient Gaul. Paris was just a village!


9. The amphitheatre

• On the summit, they constructed an amphitheatre and a beautiful theatre (which still exist).

• The photo shows the amphitheatre which is in the heart of town.


10. The Roman Theatre

• This is the Roman theatre in Lyon – if you go there in Summer you can go to plays, concerts and shows or even an opera!


11. The Roman city

• These remains of Roman shops can be found near the theatre

• There are also villas and little houses which have been discovered during excavations.


12. A model

• In the Gallo-Roman Museum there is an excellent model of this area during the Roman era, so that you can appreciate the size and number of the buildings.


13. The Gallo-Roman Museum

• Near the theatre, the Gallo-Roman Museum has excellent exhibitions of the ancient objects found by the Lyonnais in their back yards and under their streets.


14. A treasure

• This chariot belonging to a Celtic chief was found nearby

• The Museum has both temporary and permanent exhibitions.


15. End of an era

• The Romans pulled out of Lyon in the 5th century with the arrival of the Eastern European tribes.

• Nevertheless, Lyon still remained a rich city because of its commercial links.

• On the right, the remains of a Roman street near the theatre.


16. La Fourvière

• Nowadays on the summit of la Fourvière there is the Conservatorium and the modern basilica.

• The basilica is built from white marble.


17. The basilica of Notre Dame

• The basilica of Notre Dame has an enormous golden statue of the Virgin Mary on the tip of its spire.

• It can be seen from a very great distance.


18. L’intérieur.

• Inside, everything is decorated in mosaics and gold.

• The Basilica is the second most visited monument in France because of its beauty.


End of Part 1.

Go to Part 2 to continue.

Find out how the city expanded down hill

during the Middle Ages

© Patricia Barry 2008 A French city – Lyon 1. Background and Roman Lyon.

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