There’s nothing like an immersive, artistic and poetic stroll to make you forget the 345 steps to climb. In Lyon, the Fourvière foundation offers a completely different way of discovering the history of the basilica, the jewel of the city which has just been selected for the competition. The favorite monument of the French. In the program, an artistic visit at night, all in privacy and limited to fifteen people.
The difference ? Four artists will take you back in time. Before climbing at night on the roofs of the building, visitors will meet Pierre Bossan, the architect of the place to whom the actor Pierre de Lengaigne lends his features.
Rigorous, demanding, the man had to fight hard to carry out his project. If the basilica is today the pride of Lyon, it attracted, at the time, the wrath of the inhabitants, reluctant to see the chapel erected on the hill disappear. But not only. The style of the architect, inspired by Byzantine Gothic and Romanesque art, has straightened full of a mustache.
Theatrical and danced interludes
It therefore took a miracle, in 1870, for the project to succeed. The archbishop had made a wish to build a basilica if the Prussians did not invade Lyon. The enemy having given up trying to reach the capital of Gaul, he kept his word. This time, the oppositions rose as quickly as the Prussians scampered off.
To the rhythm of theatrical interludes, visitors will reach the roofs of the basilica to attend, under the stars, a short and captivating dance piece. The highlight of the show before admiring a breathtaking view.
“The goal is to spend an hour, out of time. It is to bring the public to discover the history of the places in a more poetic way, by experiencing the emotions provided by the music, the dance and the acting”, explains Marine Guillemain, communication manager of the Fourvière Foundation. The idea germinated at the exit of the Covid. “We were sensitive to the situation of cultural actors. This visit was a first step to get them back on track and to say that we hadn’t forgotten them”.
The next artistic visits are scheduled for this Thursday at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.