Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay
Basilique Saint-Martin d'Ainay
One of Lyon's oldest surviving churches, a 12th-century Romanesque abbey church whose interior stone columns were reused from Roman material.
The Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay was originally a Benedictine abbey, consecrated in 1107 by Pope Paschal II. It is Lyon's best-preserved Romanesque building. The top of the bell tower has Romanesque diamond ornamentation. Four granite columns in the interior transept are said to have come from the Altar of the Three Gauls from Roman times, and the apse has a 12th-century mosaic floor. Few tourists visit, and the atmosphere is simple and quiet. Free. Located in the Ainay district in the southern Presqu'île, about 8 minutes' walk south of Place Bellecour.
Opening hours
Approx. 8:30 am–12:00 pm and 2:30–6:30 pm
Nearby sights
- Musée des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs
- Place Bellecour & Presqu'île
- Lyon Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste)
- Musée Miniature et Cinéma
- Vieux Lyon
- Jardin du Rosaire
- Ancient Theatres of Fourvière & Lugdunum Museum
- Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière