Traces of Romanesque in a Gothic cathedral
Dedicated to Saint John, the cathedral of Lyon is one of the most prominent churches of France (it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site). Indeed, the archbishop of Lyon has borne the title of “Primate of the Gauls” since the 2nd century, as Lyon was the first bishopric ever created in the “three Gauls”, as the provinces of Lyon and the Alps, the Aquitaine, and Belgium, were known during the times of the Western Roman Empire. Lyon was then the capital of all those vast territories. This “primacy” conferred to the archbishop of Lyon authority over all other bishops, even that of Paris, the secular capital of more recent times. Now, the title is largely honorific.
The Saint-Jean Cathedral is mostly a Gothic church, and as such of limited interest to me. However, having been built over the span of three centuries, from 1175 to 1480, it was begun as a Romanesque church and there are indeed small parts and details that remain from that period, albeit few and far between.
I have visited that church several times, but I went again on the Saturday before Easter (2022) to try and locate a few of those parts and details...
It was also a good opportunity to test my “Brittany Configuration”, i.e., the gear I will bring on my week-long family trip to Brittany at the beginning of May: as I wasn’t sure what kind of equipment would be allowed inside the cathedral, I brought my new 24–120mm ƒ/4 S lens, with the 14–30mm in case of need (I ended up not needing it), and my very small and light Gitzo Series 0 Traveler tripod, which I used for all exposures indoors. That gear worked very satisfactorily. Of course, the tripod is a lot shorter than my usual one (not to mention my big one!), but one has to make do when one must travel light. That was the idea.
Happy Easter to everyone!
This niche carved into the bandes lombardes is on the northern side of the choir. I don’t know what it was meant for but among other great presents, I was given by work colleagues when I retired this enormous book on the Saint-Jean Cathedral which may contain the answer. I’ll post it as an edit below if I find anything about it.
That coffee table book is terribly heavy and unwieldy but enthralling to read, with excellent photos by Lyonnais photographer Jean-Pierre Gobillot. Here it is on Amazon: www.amazon.fr/LYON-GRACE-DUNE-CATHEDRALE-COLLECTIF/dp/271....
Traces of Romanesque in a Gothic cathedral
Dedicated to Saint John, the cathedral of Lyon is one of the most prominent churches of France (it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site). Indeed, the archbishop of Lyon has borne the title of “Primate of the Gauls” since the 2nd century, as Lyon was the first bishopric ever created in the “three Gauls”, as the provinces of Lyon and the Alps, the Aquitaine, and Belgium, were known during the times of the Western Roman Empire. Lyon was then the capital of all those vast territories. This “primacy” conferred to the archbishop of Lyon authority over all other bishops, even that of Paris, the secular capital of more recent times. Now, the title is largely honorific.
The Saint-Jean Cathedral is mostly a Gothic church, and as such of limited interest to me. However, having been built over the span of three centuries, from 1175 to 1480, it was begun as a Romanesque church and there are indeed small parts and details that remain from that period, albeit few and far between.
I have visited that church several times, but I went again on the Saturday before Easter (2022) to try and locate a few of those parts and details...
It was also a good opportunity to test my “Brittany Configuration”, i.e., the gear I will bring on my week-long family trip to Brittany at the beginning of May: as I wasn’t sure what kind of equipment would be allowed inside the cathedral, I brought my new 24–120mm ƒ/4 S lens, with the 14–30mm in case of need (I ended up not needing it), and my very small and light Gitzo Series 0 Traveler tripod, which I used for all exposures indoors. That gear worked very satisfactorily. Of course, the tripod is a lot shorter than my usual one (not to mention my big one!), but one has to make do when one must travel light. That was the idea.
Happy Easter to everyone!
This niche carved into the bandes lombardes is on the northern side of the choir. I don’t know what it was meant for but among other great presents, I was given by work colleagues when I retired this enormous book on the Saint-Jean Cathedral which may contain the answer. I’ll post it as an edit below if I find anything about it.
That coffee table book is terribly heavy and unwieldy but enthralling to read, with excellent photos by Lyonnais photographer Jean-Pierre Gobillot. Here it is on Amazon: www.amazon.fr/LYON-GRACE-DUNE-CATHEDRALE-COLLECTIF/dp/271....