Lyon Cathedral, Lyon (must see)

In 450 AD, on or about, Patiens, sainted Bishop of Lyon, had a cathedral built in Lyon named for Saint Stephen. In the seventh century a baptistry was constructed as an adjunct to the cathedral. The Church of Saint Croix was nearby. This area, in the heart of Old Lyon, near the River Saone, became the site of Lyon Cathedral in 1180.

Built on the ruins of Saint Stephen's, the cathedral was founded by Saints Pothinus and Irenaeus. Construction begun in 1180 and completed in 1476. The architectural style is a harmonious blend of Gothic and Romanesque. The blend of styles is consistent, untrammeled by the over-long period of construction.

The building is 263 feet long and 66 feet wide at the choir. The nave is 107 feet high. The facade is moderately Gothic, featuring high pointed arches and pediments. The apse and choir are Romanesque. The high ribbed vault of the nave is Gothic.

Inside the cathedral is a 30-foot high astronomical clock. An astrolabe cites dates and locations of the stars, Moon, Sun and Earth. The clock was first installed in 1383. Destroyed in a raid by Francois de Beaument, the Baron of Adrets, in the War of Religions in 1562, it was rebuilt by master clockmaker Guillaume Norrisson in 1661.

Each December, in honor of the Virgin Mary, lighted candles are placed outside the windows of Lyon. The facade of the cathedral comes alive with a stunning multicolored light show. The festival marks the miraculous end of the plague in Lyons in 1643.