- 147 Rue de Créqui, 69006 Lyon
- What you see
- What you need to know
Welcome to the Sainte-Croix Chapel, also known as the Missionaries of Our Lady Chapel. Located in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon, this magnificent Byzantine-style structure is a poignant tribute to the victims of the Siege of Lyon in 1793. It is under the supervision of the Commission du Monument Religieux des Brotteaux, an association established under the law of 1901.
During your visit, you will have the opportunity to explore the chapel's crypt, which houses an ossuary containing the remains of victims of the conflicts of the French Revolution between 1793 and 1794. This crypt is accessible by appointment, offering a unique opportunity to bear witness to this tumultuous period of history.
In addition, on the left wall of the chapel, you will discover an impressive list of names of the victims of the Terror in Lyon, some of whom were tortured or guillotined. This list is sometimes accompanied by their professions, titles or statuses, adding a human and moving dimension to this visit.
- Archive images
- memory - monument and chapel both disappeared
The very first memorial erected in memory of the victims of the Siege of Lyon in 1793, known as the Brotteaux Monument, was built in 1795 according to the plans of the architect Claude-Ennemond Cochet (1760-1835), and decorated with ornaments and statues by the sculptor Joseph Chinard (1756-1813). However, this monument was demolished in 1796.
A second chapel was then built by the same architect following a competition opened in 1819. This new construction was built above a crypt where the remains of the victims of 1793 were kept, including those of Louis-François Perrin, Count of Précy, general of the Lyonnais, who was buried there in 1821. Unfortunately, this second chapel was also destroyed in 1906 in order to allow the two segments of the rue de Créqui to be joined with the rue Louis-Blanc and rue Fénelon.
- The Black League: popular song
Several popular songs emerged during the siege of Lyon. One of them was composed in 1793 by a hunter belonging to the Déserte battalion, to the tune of the song "aussitôt que la lumière" by Adam Billaut. This song, entitled "Fantassins du Lyonnais", is also known as "La Ligue noire" because of its first verse.