Grande mosquée de Lyon
Encyclopedia
The Grande mosquée de Lyon ("Great Mosque of Lyon"), France’s sixth largest Mosque, was officially inaugurated on 30 September 1994.
It is located at 146 Boulevard Pinel, 5 km east of Presqu'île in Lyon
. The Mosque includes cultural facilities, a library and a school.
It was designed by the Lyon architects Ballandras and Mirabeau and largely funded by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia
and other Muslim countries. It combines traditional Maghreb architecture and calligraphy
with a modern Western style.
The façade is composed of Persian arches. The Mosque also boasts a 25-metre minaret. The entrance is covered by a glass pyramid that includes 230 columns.
An association was formed in 1980 to promote the construction of a Mosque in Lyon, but attempts to get planning permission were repeatedly blocked.
When the French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua
opened the Mosque in 1992 he warned against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism
.
It is located at 146 Boulevard Pinel, 5 km east of Presqu'île in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. The Mosque includes cultural facilities, a library and a school.
It was designed by the Lyon architects Ballandras and Mirabeau and largely funded by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia
Fahd of Saudi Arabia
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005...
and other Muslim countries. It combines traditional Maghreb architecture and calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
with a modern Western style.
The façade is composed of Persian arches. The Mosque also boasts a 25-metre minaret. The entrance is covered by a glass pyramid that includes 230 columns.
An association was formed in 1980 to promote the construction of a Mosque in Lyon, but attempts to get planning permission were repeatedly blocked.
When the French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua
Charles Pasqua
Charles Pasqua is a French businessman and Gaullist politician. He was Interior Minister from 1986 to 1988, under Jacques Chirac's cohabitation government, and also from 1993 to 1995, under the government of Edouard Balladur...
opened the Mosque in 1992 he warned against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
.