--- title: "Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Saint Bernard’s Birthplace" description: "Bernard of Clairvaux was born here in 1090. Castle remains, royal chapels and a basilica above Dijon, soon under restoration. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-fontaine-les-dijon lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-fontaine-les-dijon.png --- # Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) > Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard): the hilltop birthplace of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, overlooking Dijon. Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) is in Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Côte-d'Or), 45 min by road (50 km) from Beaune. Grounds opening hours: all year: Saturday, 14:00 to 16:00 · Admission: Free entry · 11th, 17th and 19th centuries · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. On a hill at the north-western edge of Dijon stands the castle where Bernard of Clairvaux was born in 1090. The Cistercian abbot became one of the most influential figures of medieval Europe. The site combines castle remains, 17th-century royal chapels and a 19th-century basilica, and a restoration is about to begin. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 40 km north of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.3458, 5.0159 - 45 min from Beaune - Park or grounds to visit, all year - 11th, 17th and 19th centuries - Commune: Fontaine-lès-Dijon · Côte-d'Or - Style: Medieval castle, 17th-century chapels and 19th-century basilica - Heritage: Registered historic monument - Official website: [maisonnatalesaintbernard.ovh](https://maisonnatalesaintbernard.ovh/) - From Beaune: ≈ 45 min · 50 km - €120 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour, €560](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 45 min by road (50 km), €120 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History In the 11th century a castle was built on the hill to watch the road from Dijon to Châtillon-sur-Seine. Its lord, the knight Tescelin le Roux, married Aleth de Montbard, and their son Bernard was born here in 1090. He later became abbot of Clairvaux and the leading voice of the Cistercian order. The castle stayed with Tescelin's descendants until the 14th century. In 1613 the Feuillant monks bought the castle, and from 1618 it became a royal monastery under the protection of Louis XIII, a great admirer of Saint Bernard. Two chapels bearing the arms of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria were added. After the Revolution the buildings stood abandoned until 1821, and the monastery was then taken apart stone by stone by private contractors. In 1840 a canon bought the ruins and returned them to worship, and they were restored at the end of the century, taking on their present appearance. A basilica was built beside the castle in 1891 for the 800th anniversary of Bernard's birth. In 2024 the diocese of Dijon became owner of the whole site, and a restoration project with the Fondation du Patrimoine is due to start in October 2026 for about two years. ## Architecture The listed parts include the old entrance tower of the castle, the basilica of Saint-Bernard and the building that links them, with its two 17th-century chapels and a 19th-century gallery. A 17th-century door from the Feuillant convent stands in the park. Together, the castle, the basilica and the village church of Saint-Bernard frame the Place des Feuillants at the top of the hill. ## Opening hours and tickets - Grounds opening hours: All year: Saturday, 14:00 to 16:00 - Admission: Free entry During the restoration only the project house opens every week, and the chapels and old library can be visited on a few summer dates. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://maisonnatalesaintbernard.ovh/maison-du-projet/). ## Visiting During the restoration, the project house, set in a 17th and 18th-century winegrower's house, opens on Saturday afternoons, and you can view the site from the Place des Feuillants. The hilltop village is pleasant to stroll, with views over Dijon. Check the official website for opening times and the progress of the works. ## Did you know? The basilica beside the castle was built for the 800th anniversary of Bernard's birth in 1891, but it was never consecrated and only received its final roof a century later, in 1991. ## Around Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) What to combine with Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) (3 km away): Burgundy's historic capital, city of the Valois dukes and northern gateway to the Route des Grands Crus. - [Marsannay-la-Côte](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/marsannay-la-cote) (9 km away): Gateway to the Côte de Nuits and Burgundy's only village appellation making red, white and rosé. - [Fixin](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/fixin) (12 km away): A quiet wine village with Napoleon in the woods, a Romanesque church in the vines and firm reds. ### Châteaux - [Château de Montmusard](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montmusard) (4 km away): The surviving wing of a daring neoclassical pleasure house designed by Charles De Wailly. - [Château de Vantoux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vantoux) (5 km away): An early 18th-century château north of Dijon, built for a first president of the Parlement. - [Château de Marsannay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-marsannay) (9 km away): A modern wine château at the northern gateway to the Côte de Nuits. ### Things to do - [Historic Village of Talant (Site historique de Talant)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/talant), 1 km away: A hilltop village founded by the dukes, with a Gothic church and views over Lac Kir. - [Lake Kir (Lac Kir)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/lac-kir), 2 km away: Dijon's lake, opened in 1964 and named after the mayor who gave kir its name. - [Mulot & Petitjean Gingerbread Factory (La Fabrique de pain d’épices Mulot & Petitjean)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mulot-petitjean), 2 km away: Dijon's historic gingerbread maker, with a museum space above the working bakery. ### Restaurants - [William Frachot](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/william-frachot-dijon) (3 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Dijon's two-star table, reinventing Burgundy's classics inside the Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge - [L’Aspérule](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-asperule-dijon) (3 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Keigo Kimura's intimate Dijon dining room: French technique, Japanese restraint - [La Maison des Cariatides](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-maison-des-cariatides-dijon) (3 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A chef couple from Le Bristol regains a star behind one of Dijon's most ornate Renaissance façades ### Events - **Saturday, 10 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Show les papilles](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/show-les-papilles-dijon): Dijon's free festival of taste at the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Sunday, 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marathon des Grands Crus](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marathon-des-grands-crus): A marathon on the closed Route des Grands Crus, from Dijon to the Clos de Vougeot and back. (Sport · Dijon) - **Friday 23 – Sunday 25 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Salon des Vignerons Indépendants de Bourgogne et du Jura](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/salon-vignerons-independants-dijon): Some sixty independent growers from Burgundy and the Jura pour and sell their wines in Dijon. (Wine festival · Dijon) - **Saturday 31 October – Wednesday 11 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Foire internationale et gastronomique de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/foire-gastronomique-dijon): Burgundy's great food fair, held every autumn in Dijon since 1921. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Usually from the last Saturday of November to the first Sunday of January.** · [Les Fééries de Noël de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/feeries-de-noel-dijon): Chalets, vin chaud, an ice rink and a big wheel across the heart of Dijon. (Christmas · Dijon) - **Usually from late November to early December.** · [Les Nuits d’Orient et d’ailleurs](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/nuits-d-orient-et-d-ailleurs-dijon): Dijon's winter festival of music, dance and art from the Orient and beyond. (Culture · Dijon) - **Each year on the weekend after the Saint-Vincent Tournante, usually a Saturday in late January or early February.** · [Saint-Vincent de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-de-dijon): Dijon honours the patron saint of winegrowers with a parade and a tasting village. (Tradition · Dijon) - **Usually a weekend in early June.** · [Grand Prix de l’Âge d’Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/grand-prix-age-d-or-dijon-prenois): France's oldest historic motor racing meeting, on the hills just outside Dijon. (Sport · Prenois) - **Every Sunday from late June to late September.** · [Le Brunch des Halles](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/brunch-des-halles-dijon): Summer Sunday brunches cooked by local chefs under Dijon's iron market hall. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Every two years, in even-numbered years; recent editions were held in early July. The next is expected in 2028.** · [Les Fêtes de la Vigne de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fetes-de-la-vigne-dijon): Dijon's international folk festival, born in 1946 and held every two years. (Culture · Dijon) - **Friday 27 – Sunday 29 August 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Golden Coast Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/golden-coast-festival-dijon): Three days of French and international rap in a park on the edge of Dijon. (Music · Dijon) - **Usually a Sunday in mid September.** · [Vélotour Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/velotour-dijon): A playful bike ride through Dijon that opens places normally closed to cyclists. (Sport · Dijon) - **Usually the third weekend of September, during the European Heritage Days.** · [Fête de la Pressée](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-la-pressee-chenove): The dukes' giant wine presses come back to life in Chenôve's old village. (Tradition · Chenôve) - **Usually the last days of September and the first days of October.** · [Tribu Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/tribu-festival-dijon): Dijon's festival of world music, jazz and adventurous sounds, at the turn of October. (Music · Dijon) ## Questions about Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) ### How far is Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) from Beaune? Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard) is about 45 min from Beaune by road (50 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard)? Its park or grounds can be visited, while the interior is not usually open. Check its official website before you go. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard)? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Full-day wine tour, €560](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:fontaine): €120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: