Mosaic 2 in Notre-Dame de Fouirvière

Mosaic 2 in Notre-Dame de Fouirvière

View of a colorful mosaic depicting, the right side of the image, a naval battle, on the Rhône and/or Saône rivers.  On the left side of the image, a priest is praying at an altar to the Virgin Mary to give the victory to the city of Lyon.  Note that the Notre-Dame de Fouirvière is located on a sacred (to Christians) hill overlooking both Rhône and the Saône rivers

I am not certain what battle is portrayed here, but it appears to be Christians of Lyon (note the crosses on some of the ships) vs. a foe wearing turbans (possibly Muslim invaders?).  Various victories in the history of Lyon are attributed to the intercessions of the Virgin Mary.

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fouirvière that is located in Lyon, France is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.


The basilica was built between 1872 and 1896.  The basilica occupies the site of what was once the Roman Forum of Trajan in Lugdunum (Latin: forum vetus [old forum]).  The name was inverted to and corrupted to the French Vieux-Forum.