Saint Irenaeus Church, Lyon, Catholic church in 5th arrondissement, Lyon, France

Saint Irenaeus Church sits on the heights of Lyon with a crypt dating to the 9th century and an upper structure rebuilt in the 19th century. The building combines this ancient underground chamber with later architectural additions from the modern period.

The site began as a Roman necropolis and a mausoleum holding relics that gave rise to the cult of the martyrs Alexander and Epipode. A church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built here, probably by Bishop Patiens between 450 and 490, and Avitus, archbishop of Vienne, dedicated it in the early 6th century. Gregory of Tours, resident in Lyon from 551 to 573, describes its crypt holding the relics of Irenaeus beneath an altar beside those of Alexander and Epipode. The crypt was rebuilt in the 9th century and the upper church reconstructed and finished in 1830.

Behind the church, on a terrace overlooking Lyon, stand a calvary and a Stations of the Cross, listed as monuments historiques in 2021. The calvary is a sculpted group rather than a single cross, and the terrace offers a viewpoint over the city.

The church sits on Rue des Macchabées in the 5th district and remains an active Catholic place of worship with regular services. Visitors should check opening times and service schedules before planning their visit.

The major find from the site is the 1845 sarcophagus of the Triumph of Bacchus, unearthed by Ambroise Comarmond after a first discovery in 1824. It was moved to the Musée des Beaux-Arts and is now displayed at the Lugdunum museum; smaller 5th-century sarcophagi remain outside against the enclosure wall.