Catholic University of Lyon


The Catholic University of Lyon, or the Lyon Catholic University also known as the Catholic Institute of Lyon, is a private university based in Lyon, France.

History

The Catholic University of Lyon has stood at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône Rivers in the center of Lyon since its founding. Its creation in 1875 was initiated by lay Catholics following passage of a law on the freedom of higher education. Inaugural classes began in 1877.
Since 2005, the Catholic University of Lyon has been located on two campuses that are close to each other in the center city:
The Carnot Campus houses the Faculties of Theology, Philosophy, Language and Literature and Science, together with the rectorate, the university administration, central university services, the Department of Humanities and the 'Lyon Polytechnic Institute'.
The Bellcour Campus houses all the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Science, including ESDES Business School, and the ESTRI School of Translation and international relations.
The rector since September 2011 is the physician and theologian Thierry Magnin.
The university offers a government-backed diploma in religious freedom and secularism, designed especially for foreign Muslim imams; however, not enough people enroll in it.

Facts and Figures

The library belongs to the SUDOC network which interconnects with some 3,000 libraries elsewhere in France.