Le Jardin de la Visitation, Park in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon, France
The Jardin de la Visitation is a park in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon, set on the hillside above the old city. It features open lawns, tree-lined paths, a small fir forest, and a playground, with views reaching across the city below.
The land was once part of Roman Lugdunum, and excavations in 2015 uncovered weapons and everyday objects from that era. In the mid-19th century, the architect Pierre Bossan built a convent for the Visitandines here, which the city of Lyon took over in 1968.
The Jardin de la Visitation sits on the hills above old Lyon and forms part of the Parc des Hauteurs, a chain of green spaces running along the hilltops. Local families use the lawn paths for picnics while children play on the shaded playground nearby.
The park sits close to the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière and the Gallo-Roman theaters, all reachable on foot. The funicular or metro to the Saint-Just stop is the easiest way up, as the surrounding streets are steep.
André Malraux once considered turning the convent grounds into an architecture school in the 1960s, but the project never came to pass. The building, with its golden stone facade and white details, now houses the archives of the Hospices Civils de Lyon.
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