Tour of Lyon
[click on any photos to enlarge]
We spent some time to become familiar with the city,
and took a bus around Old Lyon.
We managed to see just a few of the dozens of famous landmarks.
Lyon is a city of many bridges, crossing the Rhone and Saône Rivers
The bus drove along the Saône River,
where we passed such sights as these unusual buildings:
where we passed such sights as these unusual buildings:
The Orange Cube on the waterfront of the Saône River
is praised for its energy efficiency, and
contains apartments, stores and restaurants . . .
. . . just a few buildings away from the Green Cube
by the same architects Jakob & MacFarlane.
This one is an office building for HQ of EuroNews.
is located where the Rohne and Saône Rivers meet.
Its design is described as a floating crystal cloud of stainless steel and glass.
"ONLY LYON" is a recent marketing campaign
promoting Lyon with its unique trademark anagram.
The Flower Tree was created by Korean artist Jeong Hwa-Choi
for the Festival of Contemporary Art in 2003.
From the river we headed up toward the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière,
shown here looking from the east at the bottom of the hill.
Same basilica but from the west at the top of the hill
The interior of the basilica is breathtaking.
Dozens of mosaics on the walls, ceilings and floors.
Many depictions of St Mary including one for Africa . . .
. . . and one for China
View of Lyon from the Basilica on the hill,
Rhone River in the foreground.
Lyon also has a mini-Eiffel Tower!
It is called the Tour Métallique de Fourvière,
built shortly after the one in Paris,
and was copied from the top third of the Eiffel Tower.
Near the basilica are remains of an ancient Roman theater complex built in 43 BC;
Lyon was then known as Lugdunum of Gaul.
Hôtel de Ville at the Place des Terreaux,
City Hall of Lyon, built in the 1600s.
City Hall of Lyon, built in the 1600s.
This fountain depicts France as a woman,
with 4 wild horses representing four great rivers of France:
la Seine, la Loire, le Rhône, la Garonne.
The sculptor was Auguste Bartholdi,
who also created the Statue of Liberty,
a gift to the U.S. from France.
who also created the Statue of Liberty,
a gift to the U.S. from France.
The Place des Jacobins is named for the Jacobins convent
which was destroyed on this site during the French Revolution.
This building served as a hospital for 800 years until it was renovated in 2010
as the 5-star InterContinental Hôtel-Dieu
with convention center and restaurants.
It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Lyon has been recognized by UNESCO for its more than 200 painted murals.
The wall of this building had no doors or windows until they were painted on by artists.
Close-up of one of the murals
including Rabelais, Louise Labé, and Voltaire.
CHURCH HISTORY MOMENT:
Stories about the first church members in France can be found in Global Histories, located in the Gospel Library. While some of the historical events mentioned above were happening, the church was slowly being introduced in France.
William Howell, a convert from Wales of only six months, came to France in 1849 to preach the restored gospel. His command of the French language was very limited. In Boulogne, Howells found a small group receptive to his message. Howell baptized six new converts, and on April 6, 1850, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Church, he organized the first branch of the Church in France.
Apostle John Taylor was called to preside in France, and arrived in June 1850 to find the country in turmoil with political and social unrest. After assuring officials that their message was religious and not political, Taylor and his companions were granted permission to preach.
Eight days after arriving, Taylor traveled to a beach north of the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer and dedicated the country for the preaching of the gospel. Taylor called for the assistance of heaven in leading “many to a knowledge of the truth; that thousands in this land may rejoice in the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace.” Shortly after, Taylor and his companions made the journey to Paris.
To read other posts in our Mission Blog,
click on the arrow or 3 lines to the left of NEVILLES IN FRANCE
then click on ARCHIVE to see a list of all posts.
click on the arrow or 3 lines to the left of NEVILLES IN FRANCE
then click on ARCHIVE to see a list of all posts.
