The Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls

Built in 12 BC and enlarged around 120 AD under the reign of Emperor Hadrien, this amphitheatre seated up to twenty thousand people.

This is where, near to the federal sanctuary and the temple of Rome and of Augustus, the representatives of the sixty-four nations of the three Gauls would meet every year.

It is also here that is 177 the first Christian martyrs of Gaul were tortured, the most famous to this date being Saint Blandine.

(c)Ville de Lyon - MÉMOIRE DE LYON
Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls
The oval shape of the old amphitheatre remains clearly visible, in spite of the 19th-century reservoir and later, the school that partly covered the site.
Built during the reign of Tiberius and extended under Hadrien, the amphitheatre was ultimately 128 metres long and 104 metres wide. Each year the representatives of the Nations of Gaule sat on the terraces on stones engraved with their names.
It was also a venue for water sports, having a spring-fed pool. The first Christian martyrs, including Saint-Blandine, were thrown to the lions here in 177 AD.
(c) Parcours des Pentes de la Croix-Rousse