It took architects, masons, sculptors, and workers more than three hundred years (1175-1480) to build the cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, but the result is an impressive church that combines Romanesque and Gothic elements. Lyon was home to the first church in Gaul, founded by Saint Pothinus around 160 CE. Many centuries later, Pope Gregory VII granted the archbishop of Lyon the title of Primate of All the Gauls and gave him legal authority over all the bishops of France (1079 CE). Despite its lengthy construction period, the cathedral was home to important events like the First Council of Lyon in 1245 and the royal marriage between King Henry IV and Marie de' Medici in 1600 (Henry was almost forced to marry Marie to pay back the massive debt he owed her father).