The story of Fourvière
Fourvière is where Lyon began: the Romans founded Lugdunum on this hill in 43 BC. In 1643 the city's leaders vowed to the Virgin Mary to be spared from the plague, and in 1852 a gilded statue of the Virgin was placed on the old chapel tower. When rain postponed the celebrations, people lit candles in their windows, the origin of the famous Fête des Lumières every 8 December.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Lyon's Catholics made another vow, and the basilica was built between 1872 and 1884 by architect Pierre Bossan. Its four towers, marble mosaics and golden interior made it a symbol of the city, seen from almost everywhere in Lyon.
