Basilica of Saint-Bonaventure
The church has played an important role in the life of Lyon since its construction. The Franciscans who built it on the tomb of Saint Bonaventure himself, who died in Lyon in 1274, were very close to the common people. Very spontaneously, they welcomed in their church the craftsmen and workers of the capital of the Gauls. With the support of Cardinal Barbarin, and the endorsement of Pope Francis, the church was erected as a Minor Basilica. Enlarged in the 15th century, Saint-Bonaventure became the church of the Corporate Confraternities, which financed the construction, from 1471 to 1625, of several chapels that were often well cared for (chapel including Sainte-Geneviève).
About this building
With its three portals and highly decorated pilasters adjoining the bare surfaces, the facade surprises. It is the part of the building most strongly impregnated with Gothic style, but with peculiarities that make it deeply original. The central part is built according to strict symmetry, on either side of an axis materialised by three superimposed bays: at the very bottom, the main entrance portal; above, a large rose; above still, an ox-eye topped by a pinnacle. The facade is organised around this axis: on either side, the elements (portals, bays, pilasters, balustrades) are arranged in pairs. By a refinement, the portals not only answer each other, but are themselves symmetrical.
