Colline de Fourvière – Colline de la Croix-Rousse
The city of Lyon is dominated by two historic hills, the Colline de Fourvière and Colline de la Croix-Rousse, which offer unique perspectives on the city’s evolution over the centuries.
Fourvière Hill boasts a breathtaking panorama of the city and the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers. This natural vantage point has long been a strategic location, recognised and exploited by various civilisations throughout history. Indeed, since ancient times, the Rhône Valley has served as a natural thoroughfare for trade between the northern regions and Mediterranean ports.
As early as the 4th century BC, the Gauls established their fortress, Lugudunon, on this hill.
In 43 BC, the Romans transformed it into a military camp and renamed it Lugdunum. From there, they launched expeditions to expand their empire to distant lands such as Britain and Germania.
Over the centuries, Lyon continued its urban expansion beyond Fourvière, onto the Croix-Rousse and the peninsula. The Colline de la Croix-Rousse, once a barren hill, became a flourishing centre of silk weaving during the Renaissance, earning Lyon the nickname World Capital of Silk. The legacy of this industry is still visible today in the traboules, the narrow passageways that wind between the former weavers’ houses.
La Presqu’île, formerly known as Île de Canabae, is nestled between the waters of the Saône and Rhône rivers, and became a dynamic commercial and cultural hub. This 4.5 km long peninsula encompasses what are now the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of Lyon.
The Colline de Fourvière, Colline de la Croix-Rousse, and the La Presqu’île, together form the historic heart of Lyon, where the ancient and modern day city meet.
The ghosts of Lugdunum
The ghosts of Roman Lugdunum still haunt the slopes of the Colline de Fourvière.
First, its name, Fourvière, reminds us of the Roman Forum, Forum Vetus, the ancient forum/market, which became Foro Vetere in medieval Italian. While the Forum disappeared to make way for the magnificent Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, vestiges of Lugdunum nevertheless remain in other forms.
Among these vestiges is the Roman theatre, built in 14 BC. With a diameter of 108 metres and an initial capacity of 4,500 seats, it was later enlarged to accommodate up to 10,000 spectators! Today, it hosts the annual Nuits de Fourvière festival.
Not far from the grand theatre stands the Odeon, a more modest but equally beautiful building. Built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, this relatively small theatre, 73 metres in diameter, could accommodate up to 3,000 spectators.
Sanctuary of the Three Gauls
The remains of the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls are located in the Jardin des Plantes (Botanical garden), at the foot of the Croix-Rousse Hill.
Emperor Augustus strategically divided Gaul into three imperial provinces (Gaul Lugduniana, Gaul Aquitania, and Gallia Bellica) and one senatorial province (Gaul Narbonensis). He designated Lugdunum as the capital of the Three Gauls, thus granting it significant imperial importance.
The Three Gauls comprised representatives from sixty Gallic tribes who formed the Council of Gaul. These representatives met every year on August 1st in the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls. This assembly deliberated not only on matters of government but also paid homage to Augustus and the divine pantheon of Rome in the adjacent Sanctuary of the Three Gauls, built under the auspices of Augustus’ nephew, Drusus, in 19 BC.
August 1st was an important date. The Romans celebrated the capture of Alexandria, while the Gauls honoured Lugh, the sun god, atop the Hill of Lugdunum, which they also called Lugh’s Hill.
Although the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls has disappeared, the remains of the amphitheatre still stand. Converted into an arena in the 2nd century AD, this monumental structure could accommodate up to 20,000 spectators. Its size gives us a glimpse into the flourishing cultural and civic life of Lugdunum!
Table Claudienne – Lyon Tablet
The museum, near the theatre, houses an impressive collection of artefacts, including exquisite mosaics, imposing sculptures, and remarkable architectural remains.
However, the jewel of these collections is undoubtedly the Claudian Tablet, originally housed in the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls.
Discovered by a cloth merchant in 1528 amidst the vines that adorned the sanctuary, this monumental bronze tablet consists of two sizable segments, inscribed with a speech delivered by Emperor Claudius before the Roman Senate in 48 AD.
In this speech, Claudius granted the leaders of the Gallic tribes the privileges of the Roman magistracy and eligibility for the Senate, thus demonstrating his goodwill toward the Gauls, undoubtedly influenced in part by his Lyonnais origins.
Claudius’s speech remains a masterpiece of Roman eloquence, clearly establishing the influence of Lugdunum, capital of the Three Gauls, on the political, cultural, and economic life of Gaul.
The influence of Lutetia (ancient Paris), a mere city in northern Gaul, seemed quite pale in comparison to Lugdunum.
Today, Lyon continues to honour its rich past by illuminating more than 100 historical, cultural, and architectural sites every evening.
Rhône Department – Lyon – Rhône-Alpes region
Coordinates: Lat 45.762024 – Long 4.821331
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Table Claudienne by Olivier Public domain – Model of Lugdunum by Iijjccoo CC BY-SA 3.0 – Amphitheatre des Trois Gaules by Chabe01 CC BY-SA 4.0 – Basilique by Romainbehar Public domain – Roman amphitheatre and Header by Jean-Christophe BENOIST CC BY 4.0 – View of Lyon from Fourviere by Zairon CC BY-SA 4.0
