Here are a compilation of some fun facts!
- People who live in Lyon are referred to as “Lyonnais”
- Lyon is the second largest city next to Paris. Approximately 1.7 million people inhabit the metropolitan area.
- Lyon is a popular student attraction. The city is visited by about 120,000 students each year.
- Lyon was founded by the Romans--evidence of Roman presence can still be seen throughout the city. We will be visiting the Amphitheatre Gallo-Romain which was a bloody gathering place during the time of the Roman empire.
- For centuries, Lyon was the silk capital. Silk weavers used hidden passageways called the traboules and the croix rousse which can still be visited.
- In 1829, the Sisters of St. Joseph formed a centralized congregation in Lyon.
- Lyon is honored as the birthplace of film. In 1895 the Lumiere brothers created the first cinematograph picture cameras.
- Lyon is respected for their cuisine. Evidence of this is their 14 Michelin Star restaurants.
- World renowned chef Paul Bocuse was based in Lyon.
- La Place Bellecour, which we will be visiting, is one of the largest squares in all of Europe.
- Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, is a popular place of pilgrimage, reaching about 2 million visitors annually.
- The Virgin Mary is credited to having saved the city from plagues and war a number of times. As a way of thanking the Virgin Mary, the city has the “festival of lights” every December 8th.
RSS Feed