Museum of fine arts of Lyon is one of the most important museums not only France but also Europe. His unique collection is stored in the former buildings of the Benedictine monastery. The Museum is located on place des Terreaux.

The monastery has ceased to be a religious institution during the great French revolution. First, within its premises, there was a Palace of Commerce and arts, which presented cultural property seized from the Church. Over time, this collection is filled with exhibits of natural science and archaeology. From 1805 to 1860 was housed in the Palace Imperial school, which was preparing artists for silk factories. Then the Museum was opened here. At the end of the twentieth century underwent a major restoration of the building.

Today the Museum collection includes works of art from various countries and times, from ancient to modern times. They are exhibited in 70 galleries. The earliest works in the collection of paintings date back to the XV century. This collection contains the paintings of the masters of the Italian, French, German, Spanish and Flemish painting – only about two thousand paintings by Veronese, Tintoretto, Perugino, Ingres, Delacroix, Sisley, Degas, Gauguin, Cézanne, Renoir, El Greco, Rembrandt, Rubens, van Dyck and many other masters.

The sculpture collection is not less well-known artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Rodin, Bartholdi, Maillol, Modigliani, Picasso and others. In this collection there are 1,300 works of art from medieval sculpture to the sculptures of the early XX century. Part of this exposition can be seen in the garden of the Museum.

Department of ancient art, famous for its collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The main contribution it has made the Louvre, transferred in 1895 to about 400 items, and the descendants scholar in Egyptologist Victor Laura in the middle of the last century.

In the Museum you can also see the works of art of the Middle East and Mesopotamia (Sumer, Assyria and Ancient Persia), a rich numismatic collection, pottery China, Japan and Korea, works of decorative and applied art, graphics and more.