Basilique Saint-Martin d'Ainay

The Basilique Saint-Martin d'Ainay stands at 11 Rue Bourgelat in the Ainay district of Lyon's 2nd arrondissement, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. It is one of the oldest surviving churches in Lyon and one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the region. The abbey of Ainay was founded in the early Middle Ages near the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône, an area tied to the Roman altar of Rome and Augustus and to the memory of the Christian martyrs of 177 CE. According to local tradition the name Ainay derives from Athanacum, a Gallo-Roman settlement. The church was consecrated in 1107 by Pope Paschal II, and its plan, with a nave, aisles, a transept and a lantern tower over the crossing, follows Cluniac Romanesque models. The bell tower, with its tiers of arched openings, is a typical Lyonnais example of the style. The columns of the crossing reuse pillars said to come from the Roman altar. The nave is plain and austere, while the apse chapels and the crypt carry traces of medieval wall paintings. The interior was extensively decorated in the 19th century with paintings by Hippolyte Flandrin, a pupil of Ingres, which contrast with the bare Romanesque stonework. The abbey itself was dissolved in the 16th century, and its former monastic buildings were adapted to other uses. The church was given the status of minor basilica and has been classified as a historic monument. It remains a working parish church, so visits are best planned outside service hours. Entry is free. The surrounding Ainay district is a quiet residential quarter of elegant 19th-century buildings, close to Place Bellecour and the Presqu'île, which makes the church an easy addition to a walk through the centre of the city.