Ardently dubbed the 'insula basilicale' by its uncoverer, Amable Audin, this site in the heart of ancient Lyon was a melange of several Roman architectural wonders. Meticulously excavated between 1965 and 1978, the temple's true purpose remains a mystery that has persistently baffled historians. Officially christened as the 'Sanctuary of Cybèle', it attained the status of a historical monument in 1983. Audin chanced upon a bustling marketplace to the west of the odéon, nestled along a road transitioning from the Narbonnaise gate to the city’s upper center. Later, Armand Desbat unearthed it to be an expansive estate, giving rise to suspicions: was it perhaps the residence of a governor, or something far more gripping?
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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