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THE MYSTERIES OF SAINT-JEAN CATHEDRAL

THE MYSTERIES OF SAINT-JEAN CATHEDRAL

Lyon

Place Saint-Jean

Art Enthusiasts
‘One can see only with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes’, wrote the Lyon native Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in The Little Prince. As if to prove his point, the city certainly rewards those who pay attention to small details. The Saint-Jean Cathedral, for one, conceals many mysteries. From the entrance you can see a strange gagged face concealed in the stone. What is he trying to say... or rather not to say? Many of the statues refer to the famous source of immortality – the philosopher's stone. Perhaps that’s why the statue appears gagged, so as not to reveal his secret fountain of youth. As for the stained glass image of a virgin with a hand too big for her body? This is thought to be a representation of the Celtic god Lug, central to the myth that tells of a werewolf whose worshippers turned into wolves at night. Legends, myths, rumours ... Saint-Jean has them all!
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