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- Marvellous Middle Ages - The Ile-Barbe abbey, a journey to the gates of Lyon
Marvellous Middle Ages - The Ile-Barbe abbey, a journey to the gates of Lyon
Exhibitions
Last updated date : 23/04/2026
Through the finest pieces in the Lyon History Museum’s collection of medieval sculpture, discover the Middle Ages in Lyon, with the history of the Abbey of Ile-Barbe serving as your guide.
The exhibition covers the ‘Long Middle Ages’ from the 5th to the 16th century and highlights the Ile-Barbe, one of its key sites in Lyon. Recent research has revealed the antiquity of this site and its integration into major monastic networks and centres of artistic creation. The Ile-Barbe was also an important site of Marian pilgrimage, predating Fourvière.
Through the history of the monastery, the exhibition distinguishes the historical reality from the legendary tales that have shaped the island’s reputation. It explores the intellectual framework of the era, links monastic life to the city’s development, and examines the roots of the current fascination with the Middle Ages, its reinterpretations and its representations.
Practical information
Address
1 place du Petit Collège - 69005 Lyon 5ème
Languages
French
Prices
Full price: 9 €, Reduced price: 7 €.
Free entry for children under 18.
Included with the Lyon City Card et Lyon City Card 1 year
Openings
From 17/10/2025 to 01/11/2026 on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and weekends between 10.30 am and 6 pm.
except on January 1st, May 1st, July 14th and December 25th.
Accessibility
- Hearing disability
- Visual disability
- Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs
Exhibitions
Marvellous Middle Ages - The Ile-Barbe abbey, a journey to the gates of Lyon
Museum of the History of Lyon - Gadagne Museums
1 place du Petit Collège - 69005 Lyon 5ème
I go by alternative transportation
Metro D to Vieux-Lyon station Bus lines S1, 19 and trambus Tb11, get off at Gare St Paul; bus lines C14, 31 and 40, get off at Pont de la Feuillée; bus C20 and 27, get off at Vieux-Lyon Vélo´V: Stations at Place Fousseret and Rue de la Baleine Wheelchair access: 14 rue Gadagne Bus parking: quai Romain Rolland
with 
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