Mystère de sainte Reine
A village pageant retelling the martyrdom of Saint Reine, with torchlit and costumed processions.
- Tradition
- Alise-Sainte-Reine
- 1 h 04 from Beaune
€230one way from Beaune with a private driver
Book a driverAt a glance
- Nearby
- MuséoParc Alésia
- Entry
- Paid or by invitation
- Official website
- mysteredesaintereine.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 04 by road (82 km), €230 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the event
At the end of every August the people of Alise-Sainte-Reine retell the martyrdom of Reine, a young Gallic noblewoman put to death in 253. Costumed processions cross the village on the Saturday evening and the Sunday morning, and a play, the mystère, is performed in the open-air Théâtre des Roches.
What to expect
On the Saturday a torchlit procession leads to the evening performance at 9 pm. On the Sunday the historical procession sets off at 10 am from the Hôpital Sainte-Reine, and the play is performed again at 3 pm. The cast are villagers, and watching them carry on a tradition this old, in the village where Caesar besieged Vercingetorix, is a rare sight.
History
The organisers date the celebration of Saint Reine in the village back to 866, and for several centuries, almost without interruption, the villagers have told her story for pilgrims and spectators. The costumed procession follows a ritual unchanged since the 1650s.
In the play, Reine, awakened to the Christian faith by her nurse, refuses the advances of the Roman governor Olibrius and will not renounce her faith. In 2026 the performances were given on 29 and 30 August.
Good to know
Tips for the day
Book tickets through the official website. The MuséoParc Alésia and Flavigny are a few minutes away, so the pageant can round off a day in the Auxois. Alise-Sainte-Reine is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Beaune, and a driver spares you the road home after the Saturday night performance.
Around here
What to combine with Mystère de sainte Reine on the same day, nearest first.
- Wine festival
Les Vin’dredis de la Halle
Friday evenings through the summer, from late MayGevrey-Chambertin - Culture
Lumières à Beaune
Every evening from late June to late September, and from the Vente des Vins weekend in November to early JanuaryBeaune
- Tradition
Fête de la Bague
The race is run every 31 May, whatever the day of the week, amid about ten days of festivities in late May and early JuneSemur-en-Auxois
Questions
The 2027 dates of Mystère de sainte Reine have not been announced yet. Usual timing: the last weekend of August.. The organiser publishes them on mysteredesaintereine.com.
Did you know? The costumed procession that opens the pageant has followed the same ritual since the 1650s.
Sources
A private driver for the day
No parking to find, no one left as the designated driver: everyone enjoys a glass.