Lyon and saint Bonaventure (15th-18th centuries)

Bonaventure died in the franciscan Convent in Lyon in 1274. Two centuries later, following his canonization in 1482, his mortal remains were referred to in several political as well as religious speeches and uses aimed at legitimating parallel powers. First, at the turn of the 16th century, the monarchy confi scated the relics with a view to enforcing its power in Lyon. Next, the town council used it to implementing a new civic and moral order that was harmonious and coherent, especially in the 17th century. Finally, the Franciscans strove to retrieve the relics so as to boost up their unity that had been impaired by a century long internal feuding. Thus, Saint Banaventure's relics are a telling example of how relics were made both political and social use of in modern urban France, thus helping to establish union, reconciliation and territorialisation in urban areas.