Inside the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Lyon

I was surprised to run into another church here in Vieux Lyon. Back when I was at the top of Fourvière Hill. There was a basilica which seemed to be the church to visit when in Lyon however, it turns out that there is another church here which more historical than the newer basilica built on top of the hill. Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist is still an important church but has somehow lost some of its luster to the basilica built on top of hill. This is not saying that the old cathedral isn’t worth visiting. It turns out that the cathedral finished construction in the 15th century so it is certainly very old even if it doesn’t show from the outside.

The church inside is much darker no doubt helped by the bright day outside, it took my eyes some time to adjust to the darker interiors of the church. The cathedral is decidedly Gothic though there are part which may be classified as Romanesque. Typical of Gothic churches, the roof is quite high with the stained glass windows at the top letting the light in. It can be immediately noticed that the church isn’t as richly decorated as the basilica up the hill. However, I would find out later that it has some treasures which the basilica doesn’t have.

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