Strange isn’t it that this Temple de Cybèle isn’t really a temple at all. It’s more like a historical puzzle. This site designated as the Temple de Cybèle has a story that goes way back. We are standing on the plateau de la Sarra. It is near the ancient Theatre of Fourvière. A Roman road and the edge of the plateau separate them.
Excavations were necessary to understand this place. The name Temple de Cybèle is now questionable because of these excavations. The site’s occupation dates surprisingly back to the Bronze Age.
Let’s break down its history into phases. First, there were houses of earth and wood. These homes had careful decorations from the colony’s beginnings. Second, around 20 BC a palace was erected. It might have been the governor’s residence. Third, the dating of the pseudo Temple de Cybèle moved to the first century. This makes the old theory of its purpose invalid.
In 1704 an altar was found. This taurobolic altar was in M. Bourgeat’s vineyard. D. de Colonia wrote about it in 1805. This altar is the oldest evidence of Cybèle worship in Gaul. It is dated precisely to 160 AD. It helped people see the large walls found in 1925 as part of a goddess’s sanctuary.
Amable Audin dug here to define the temple’s boundaries. He discovered three successive buildings. First, a basilica and its annexes existed. Then a reservoir linked to the Gier aqueduct was created. Finally, the Temple de Cybèle was built after the reservoir’s destruction.
From 1991 Armand Desbat restarted the excavations. He found traces of Bronze Age occupation. This was unprecedented on Fourvière hill. He reinterpreted the nature and timeline of past finds.
So, in ancient times the site had three main phases. Around 40 to 20 BC private homes and shops occupied the area. Around 20 BC a vast building arose. It may have been Governor Agrippa’s residence. Around 10 AD the large building was constructed. People initially thought it was the Temple de Cybèle dating to the second half of the 2nd century AD. Its true nature remains uncertain. It could have been a college of the Augustales, a market for a specific corporation, or halls. Later the reservoir of the Gier aqueduct was inserted into this building. It had two vaulted compartments forming the buried lower part of the cistern. The upper compartments are gone.
The Temple de Cybèle isn’t what it seems. It has evolved through various eras. It has served different purposes over centuries. The site remains a testament to Lyon’s long and complex past. It encourages us to question and explore the layers of history beneath our feet.