[1] The creation of the parish of St. Pothin and the construction of the church became part of the urban development of Les Brotteaux district from the late 18th century.

[3] In 1835, the Hospices Civils de Lyon made a gift of land[4] and a contest was organized by the city fathers of La Guillotière.

Christophe Crépet (1807-1856), Lyon architect of La Guillotière and former student of the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, was the winner.

For economic reasons, this led to an adjournment of the church decoration (many statues of saints were planned, but the project was finally abandoned)[3] and the use of inferior materials, which begat architectural disorder.

[3] In the interior, the fresco of the dome was done in 1893-1894 by Étienne Couvert[1] (1856-1933) and depicts the Virgin and the twelve apostles, and there is a glass made by Lucien Bégule,[1] representing the Holy Spirit as a dove.