Is it possible that one of Lyon’s oldest churches simply vanished? L’Église Saint-Romain once stood proudly. It was integrated into the cloister of the Cathédrale Saint-Jean. Now imagine it. The Église Saint-Romain was a modest church. It had a single nave and a small semi-circular apse.
Let’s journey back. Construction began around 1400. It finished thirty years later in 1430. The church’s history is somewhat obscure. Details of its benefactors are largely unknown. Yet, we know a few fascinating details.
Guillaume de La Palud a provost bequeathed funds for a bell in the 13th century. Above the west-facing door a bas-relief depicted Saint Joachim and Sainte Anne. They were the Virgin Mary’s parents. An inscription named the founder.
Inside the Église Saint-Romain two chapels graced the interior besides the main altar. The Chapelle de la Vierge Marie was built in the early 15th century. Guillaume de Bames a clerk oversaw its construction. Jean Fournier authorized it in 1400.
The Chapelle Notre-Dame de Bon-Refuge was built in 1615. Jean Faure financed it. He held many titles including treasurer of the Grande Église. A painting in the church portrayed Faure with Saint Jean-Baptiste and Saint Jean l’Évangéliste.
Legend held that early Christians built Église Saint-Romain. It was supposedly built on ground soaked with martyrs’ blood. This blood flowed down from the Croix de Colle. Out of respect burials were forbidden inside the Église Saint-Romain.
Interestingly, the Laurencin family contributed significantly to renovations in the 1560s and 1561. Their coat of arms was placed on the church’s vault.
By the 17th century the house for the church’s priest was dilapidated. The parish decided to use a building in the cemetery as the new rectory. The old house was rented out.
Unfortunately, Église Saint-Romain itself fell into disrepair. In 1743 its demolition was authorized. Religious services moved to Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux. The land was sold to the canons of Lyon.
In 1744 Église Saint-Romain was torn down. Later the archbishop used the land to expand prisons. Today little remains of this once significant church. Its memory lives on in historical records. We can still imagine its modest presence near the grand cathedral.