Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Visiting the Basilica:
Beforeentering,viewthefancyfacade,theolderchapelonthe
right (supporting the statue of Mary; open daily 7:00-19:00), and the top of the Eiffel-like
TV tower on the left.
Climb the steps and enter. You won't find a more Mary-centered church.
Everything—floor,walls,ceiling—iscoveredwithelaborate
mosaics.
Scenesglitteringon
the walls tell stories of the Virgin (in Church history on the left, and in French history on
the right). Amble down the center aisle at an escargot's pace and examine some of these
scenes:
First scene on the left:
In 431, the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be the
“Mother of God.”
Across the nave, first on the right:
The artist imagines Lugdunum (Lyon)—the
biggest city in Roman Gaul, with 50,000 inhabitants—as the first Christian missionaries
arrive. The first Christian martyrs in France (killed in
A.D.
177) dance across heaven with
palm branches.
Next left:
In 1571, at the pivotal sea battle of Lepanto, Mary provides the necessary
miracle as the outnumbered Christian forces beat the Ottomans.
Next right (view from right to left):
Joan of Arc hears messages from Mary, rallies
the French against the English at the Siege of Orléans in 1429 (find the Orléans coat of
arms above and the timid French King Charles VII—whom Joan inspired to take a stand
and fight the English—on his horse in the center), and is ultimately burned at the stake in
Rouen at age 19 (1431).
Back across the nave on the left:
In 1854, Pope Pius I proclaims the dogma of the
Immaculate Conception in St. Peter's Square (establishing the belief among Catholics that
Mary was born without the “Original Sin” of apple-eating Adam and Eve). To the left of
the Pope, angels carry the tower of Fourvière Church; to the right is the image of the Vir-
gin of Lourdes (who miraculously appeared in 1858).
Finally, on the right:
Dashing Louis XIII offers the crown of France to the Virgin
Mary. (The empty cradle hints that while he had her on the line, he asked, “Could I
please have a son?” Louis XIV was born shortly thereafter.) Above marches a parade of
pious French kings, from Clovis and Charlemagne to Napoleon (on the far right—with
the white cross and red coat). Below are the great Marian churches of France (left to
right)—Chartres, Paris' Sacré-Cœur and Notre-Dame, Reims (where most royalty was
crowned), and this church. These six scenes in mosaic all lead to the altar where Mary
reigns as Queen of Heaven.
Lower Church and Adjacent Chapel:
Exit under Joan of Arc and descend to the
lower church, dedicated to Mary's earthly husband, Joseph. Priorities here are painfully
clear, as money ran out for Joseph's church. Today, it's used as a concert venue (notice
