Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Image: Wikimedia Commons

On the hill of the old Roman forum, the Forum Vetus that gave Fourvière its name, Lyon has prayed to Mary for nearly nine centuries, and twice the city has staked itself on her word. In 1643, as plague ravaged France, the aldermen climbed the hill and vowed an annual homage of wax and gold if Lyon was spared, a promise the city keeps on September 8 to this day; in 1870, with Prussian armies advancing, a new vow was made and the invaders never reached Lyon. The grateful city built Pierre Bossan's dreamlike basilica between 1872 and 1896, four towers for the four virtues, an interior of mosaics, marble and gold on the hill that prays, its silhouette so distinctive that Lyonnais fondly call it the upside-down elephant. From the gilded Virgin on the bell tower the view sweeps over the whole city, and every December 8 all Lyon flames with candles at its windows for the Fête des Lumières, thanking the Lady of the hill.