Roman Theatres of Fourvière

In front of you lies the heart of Lugdunum. In 43 BC, Lucius Munatius Plancus founded a Roman colony on this hill, and it soon became the capital of Gallia Lugdunensis and one of the most important cities in the western empire. The emperor Claudius was born here in 10 BC.

1A theatre for ten thousand

Archaeologists believe the first theatre was built under Augustus, around 15 BC, although the date is debated. It was later enlarged with a third tier of seating, reaching an estimated 10,000 places. Next to it stands the odeon, a smaller roofed theatre designed for music and public readings.

When the empire fell, the theatre became a quarry: its stones ended up in churches and houses. It was buried and forgotten until the late 19th century and was only fully excavated after 1933. Since 1946, the Nuits de Fourvière festival has brought theatre, music and dance back to these very steps every summer.

The Celtic name Lugdunum is usually read as 'the hill of Lug', a Gaulish god; the exact etymology is still debated.

If you would rather not walk up, the funicular from Vieux Lyon station has a stop called, fittingly, Minimes – Théâtres Romains. The Lugdunum museum, dug into the hillside, holds the Claudian Table you will hear about later on this route.

2What to look for

• The tiers: notice how they rest on the natural slope of the hill.
• The odeon, on the left, smaller and with traces of a marble floor.
• The view: from the top you can see why the Romans chose this hill above the confluence.