--- title: "Abbaye Saint-Philibert de Tournus: What to See and Visit" description: "Romanesque abbey church of the 11th and 12th centuries with crosswise vaults, cloister and refectory. Open daily, 1 to 2 hours. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-saint-philibert-tournus lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/abbaye-saint-philibert-tournus.png --- # Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus (Abbaye Saint-Philibert de Tournus) > Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus: One of the great Romanesque churches of France, with unusual crosswise vaults and a complete monastic setting. Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus is in Tournus (Saône-et-Loire), 55 min by road (66 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 to 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €195 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The abbey church of Saint-Philibert dominates the old town of Tournus, on the right bank of the Saône. Built mainly in the 11th and 12th centuries, it ranks among the largest Romanesque monuments in France. With its cloister, chapter house, refectory and cellar, it forms one of the few monastic groups of the 11th century to survive. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Where: Tournus · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 50 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.5657, 4.9090 - 55 min from Beaune - Allow 1 to 2 hours - Tournus - Official website: [tournus-tourisme.com](https://www.tournus-tourisme.com/nos-essentiels/a-la-decouverte-de-tournus/abbaye-saint-philibert/) - From Beaune: ≈ 55 min · 66 km - €195 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 55 min by road (66 km), €195 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 Tradition holds that Saint Valerian was martyred here around 178 and buried on the site of the present crypt. In 875 King Charles the Bald gave the monastery and the town to Benedictine monks from Noirmoutier, who had fled Viking raids carrying the relics of their patron, Saint Philibert. The abbey then became the head of a network of monasteries and estates reaching far across the kingdom. Hungarian raiders attacked Tournus in 937, and the church was rebuilt in stages. The choir was consecrated in 1019, and Abbot Ardain later added the narthex with its upper chapel of Saint-Michel. Pope Calixtus II consecrated a new choir in 1120. During the Revolution the church escaped destruction by serving as a Temple of Reason, and after 1802 it became a parish church again. Care of the building continued in modern times. New stained-glass windows by Brigitte Simon, of the Reims workshops, and by other glassmakers were installed between 1958 and 1967. In 2001 and 2002 the nave and choir were restored, and mosaics were rediscovered in the ambulatory. The church remains a living parish church, with the old monastic buildings still grouped around it. ## What you will see Enter through the massive narthex, then look up in the nave: tall round pillars carry a series of barrel vaults set crosswise, an unusual arrangement that fills the church with light. Climb to the Saint-Michel chapel above the narthex, minding your head on the way, and go down into the crypt. Finish in the cloister, the chapter house, the refectory and the cellar, which complete the medieval monastery. ## Planning your visit The abbey is open every day of the year, though the church is closed to visits during services. Audio guides in English and several other languages are available year round, and guided tours run in the school holidays. In season a joint ticket also covers the Hôtel-Dieu nearby. On Saturday mornings a market fills the streets of the town centre. ## Did you know? The monks who settled here in 875 had wandered for almost forty years with Saint Philibert's relics, after leaving their island monastery of Noirmoutier, on the Atlantic coast, in 836. ## Around Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus What to combine with Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (14 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (24 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (27 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. ### Châteaux - [Château d’Ozenay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-ozenay) (5 km away): A stone-roofed manor beside a Romanesque church, held by one family for some four hundred years. - [Château de Messey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-messey) (7 km away): A fortified house near Tournus, reborn as an organic wine estate with rooms and winegrowers' cottages. - [Château de Ruffey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-ruffey) (8 km away): A castle with rock-cut ditches and round towers in a quiet hamlet of Sennecey-le-Grand. ### Things to do - [Les Vignerons de Mancey](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/vignerons-de-mancey-tournus) (1 km away): A growers' cooperative near Tournus, with a free trail on Burgundy wine and tastings of Mâcon-Mancey. - [Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-dieu-de-tournus) (1 km away): A 17th-century hospital with its wards, oak box beds and one of the oldest apothecaries in France. - [Musée du Vélo Michel Grézaud](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-du-velo-michel-grezaud-tournus) (1 km away): Nearly 200 bicycles, from an 1818 draisine to a carbon racing machine, in a former starch factory south of Tournus. ### Restaurants - [L’Écrin de Yohann Chapuis](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-ecrin-de-yohann-chapuis-tournus) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): An intimate starred dining room in Tournus, from the chef who helped Lameloise win back its third star. - [Aux Terrasses](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aux-terrasses-tournus) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred family house in Tournus, now in its second generation. - [La Marande](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-marande-montbellet) (12 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A family-run country house in the northern Mâconnais, starred since 2014. ### Events - **Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marché de Noël de Tournus](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-de-noel-de-tournus): A Christmas market of makers and local producers inside the abbey halls of Tournus. (Christmas · Tournus) - **A weekend in late March; the 2026 fair was held on 21 and 22 March.** · [Les Oenogourmandes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/les-oenogourmandes-tournus): A wine and food fair in the medieval halls of Tournus abbey, every March. (Wine festival · Tournus) ### Guides about Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus - [Wine tour itineraries from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-wine-tour-itineraries) ## Questions about Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus ### How far is Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus from Beaune? Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus is about 55 min from Beaune by road (66 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €195 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus take? For the visit, allow 1 to 2 hours. ### When is Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (tournus-tourisme.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus? 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 plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:tournus): €195 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: