UCLy

Privatize the Catholic University of Lyon, and enter the heart of a place full of history: the former Saint-Paul prison

An emblematic place in Lyon with exceptional architecture, between modernity and cultural heritage

In the heart of the Presqu'île stands a place full of history and future. At the end of 2010, the Catholic University of Lyon took possession of a former prison built in the 19th century. This conversion project was the result of a strong desire to preserve its heritage. The architectural design of the building preserves the most remarkable parts of the buildings while integrating into the urban landscape through an environmental approach. A rehabilitation that harmoniously establishes a dialogue between past and present by mixing stone, glass and metal.

The 36,000m² Saint-Paul campus opened its doors for the first time at the start of the 2015 academic year, giving meaning to the "La vie grande ouverte" project. A contemporary project based on a humanist vision that takes shape around an axis combining knowledge, solidarity and intergenerational.

"Transforming a prison into a university is to transform a place of confinement into a space of freedom. It is to believe that the opening to knowledge can allow to overcome the suffering. It is to develop the capacity of renewal of the territory and of Man." Excerpt from Thierry Magnin's (former rector of UCLy) speech at the inauguration of the Saint-Paul Campus in September 2015

Privileged spaces for the organization of your professional events

Come and discover UCLy's Saint-Paul campus, an atypical setting in the heart of Lyon's Presqu'île. Imagine your event taking shape in this place steeped in history and anchored in modernity and take advantage of the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that can be adapted to your needs.

Privileged spaces to host a wide range of events: gala dinners, cocktails, plenary meetings, conferences, business meetings and seminars.

Spaces available to hire

• The interior street: under a majestic glass roof, this luminous space combines ancient and modern architecture, adding to the charm of unusual venues. With a surface area of 1,095m², this vast space can accommodate up to 1,000 guests for cocktails and 260 for dinner.
• The Louis Vicat room: located in the heart of the St Paul campus, this space offers a total surface of 275m² allowing you to receive up to 250 people in cocktail format. A modern, fully equipped work space that can also be adapted to all sizes for your seminars.
• The Alain Mérieux amphitheater: with a capacity of more than 500 seats and up to 980 seats in full duplex (by connecting to the amphitheaters on the upper floors), the Alain Mérieux amphitheater has state-of-the-art equipment and can be adapted to all needs with its mobile partitions.
• The showroom: Surrounded by its two terraces with atypical architecture, this 130m² space is perfectly suited to the organization of your receptions and cocktails up to a hundred guests. Each terrace has 182m² and can accommodate up to 100 people.

Venue capacity