• They are not very visible on a daily basis, that of the ground floor. However, men and women evolve every day, to live, work or play, in the heights of our cities.
  • 20 Minutes tells you their stories in seven episodes released this week.
  • Today, zoom on the guides responsible for taking visitors to the rooftops of the Basilica of Fourvière in Lyon to offer them the city at their feet.

Weariness? "No, never," she replies, widening her eyes amusedly. Three times a week on average, Muriel Galinetti, 64, climbs the roofs of the Basilica of Fourvière in Lyon, taking dozens of curious people, suddenly stunned to have the city at their feet. "There are few places where you can dominate the city from every point of view," abounds Jean-Louis Coquet, 69, his gaze riveted on the panorama. The spectacle is, to tell the truth, grandiose. Breathtaking. Located 318 meters below, the capital of Gaul stretches, revealing all its beauty and unsuspected details. Around, a 360-degree view, with sometimes the Alps on the horizon when the sky is clear enough.


Now retired, Muriel and Jean-Louis are volunteers at the Fourvière Foundation, for which they take on the role of guide every week. Always with the same passion. "The desire to transmit enthusiasm," they summarize.

"The wonder goes crescendo"

Before reaching the summit, visitors must take 345 steps, making the acquaintance of "Petronille", "Zoé", "Caroline" or "Thérèse", the 23 bells of the great carillon. Each stop can be savored, whether in the gallery of angels, during the discovery of secret passages or under the frame of the building.

"The wonder goes crescendo," says Muriel mischievously who does not abandon her little ritual when the time comes. "Every time I open the door to the roofs, I watch for people's reactions," she says. It's a joy to see what's going on on their faces. There is a wow effect that is magical. "Even those who expected it, are ultimately not prepared for such a surprise. It's unmissable," laughs Jean-Louis.


"Unusual visits are the must in terms of emotion and aesthetics," continues Muriel who never tires of the show offered. "You never see the same thing. Each time, the lights are different, the details are different. The sky is never the same, nor is the color of the Saône, she describes, pointing to the river. Last week, it was an emerald green, for example. The sparkling guide "could stay for hours contemplating the landscape". What she prefers are on summer evenings, when "all the windows on are reflected on the water": "It forms a lot of small rectangles that sparkle".

"Taking the height allows you to move"

At the top, the gusts of wind redouble. The impression of tranquility is, however, growing. "Spirituality, whatever definition you give it, is favored by the religious prism," explains Jean-Louis as you have just climbed the last steps leading to the tower to the northwest. The icing on the cake. A few meters below, the Archangel St. Michael sits on the main dome of the basilica. Dressed in his war armor, he watches over the city. Just like the golden statue of the Virgin Mary, relegated to the side of the basilica.


"Taking the height is moving. Some visitors are affected, sometimes tears are detected in their eyes. It's not the same when you have your feet at ground level, says Muriel. It is really only in height that one can marvel at this. »

The hardest part remains to be done: "tear away" tourists from their contemplation, break the fullness. For it is soon time for the "return to earth". "Ah! When the weather is nice, it is sometimes cotton to bring them down. They don't want to do it at all," the volunteer concludes with a laugh. To tell the truth, we understand it so much...

  • Society
  • Tourism
  • Lyon
  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
  • Rhône-Alpes