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The church of Saint-Just or Saint-Just of the Maccabees church, is a church in Lyon France. The church sacristy hosted the "French-speaking Orthodox parish of the Holy Encounter" parish Orthodox of the Byzantine rite dependent on the patriarchate of Constantinople until July 2014.
It is located at 41 rue des Farges, in Lyon, and is the reconstruction of one of the oldest churches in Lyon, and dedicated to saint Just, the 13th bishop of Lyon in the 4th century.
The original bascilica was built on top of the ancient Roman necropolis where Just had been buried. The area around the old church was named Saint-Just (pronounced Saint-Ju) and is today a quarter in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon. The old Basilica was destroyed in the wars of the reformation.
The current church Saint-Just is the reconstruction of the ancient Basilica of Saint-Just. It was built inside the walls of the city after the destruction of the basilica during religious wars of the reformation. The two sites are separated by 200 meters. The reasons for this movement seem to be a need to have the church inside the city walls, during a time religious turmoil. She is one of the few examples of churches rebuilt at such a distance from their original site.
Construction began in 1565 and continued till 1663. The construction was rapid at first as the canons of the basilica wanted to celebrate a Mass by Christmas 1565, however construction then slowed down for lack of money. The sanctuary was consecrated in 1591 by Archbishop of Épinac. The facade dates 18th century and is Neoclassical in style. It was designed by Ferdinand-Sigismond Delamonce with an inscription that recalls the dedication of the ancient basilica to the Maccabees : Machabaeis primo deinde sancto iusto (For the Maccabees first then St Just).
Artworks
The church stalls and a pulpit date to the 18th century. During the demolition of the old bascilica Portraits of ancient Lyon bishops were found buried in the ancient basilica of Saint-Just. The church has a painting collection in the choir stalls by Collin de Vermont and Hughes Taraval. The stained glass windows depicting the life of Saint-Just and early Christianity in Lyons which dates from the 19th century.
The church is the subject of a classification as historical monuments since 1980.