History of the Protestants of Lyon


The history of the Protestants of Lyon is that of an urban community, isolated in the middle of a completely catholic campaign, and without nobiliary frame. It presents, on the other hand, the peculiarity to join the second city of the realm in the plan of the demography, but the first a long time in that of the economy and the bank. It is resulted from it that the city of Lyon was to be one of the major stakes in the religious wars, and, taken by the discharged soldiers in 1562, it became for some months capital of the French Protestantism. Because its economic and banking importance at the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Lyon, as for Paris, has not to undergo a dragonnade and must to proceed to the conversion of its Protestants " by meeting ", finally to act to these with cares (according to the instructions given to the "Intendant" of time). Finally, the numerous foreigners who lived there, and whose certain number was of reformed confession or lutherian, "were left in peace" and authorized to practise their cult in a domestic way if it is at home, in their only usage and in a discreet way face to face from the outside.

The Protestant community of Lyons was renewed in a about total way at least twice, first time during the pursuits which followed Saint Barthélémy ( 1572 ), second time after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes ( 1685 ). There is so, except very rare exceptions, no current Protestant of Lyons who goes down from those that lived in the XVI - XVII-th centuries.

Finally, one notices that numerous families, and not the slightest, did not live in Lyon that the time of a generation (sometimes hardly half) before settling down in Paris. One of the best examples is that of the family Say (to which belongs the famous economist) which is especially known as sugar family allied to Béghin.

The history of the Protestants in Lyon did the object of a work (not translated in english) the reading of which is deeply advised. It is described on the homepage of Lyon.

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