--- title: "Dijon Cathedral (Saint-Bénigne): Crypt and What to See" description: "Dijon's cathedral since 1792, above a rotunda crypt of about the year 1000, shown on 50-minute guided visits. Open daily, with a driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cathedrale-saint-benigne lang: en updated: 2026-10-02 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/cathedrale-saint-benigne.png --- # Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon (Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon) > Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon: a Gothic abbey church turned cathedral, above a round crypt from around the year 1000. Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon is in Dijon (Côte-d'Or), 43 min by road (47 km) from Beaune. Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour · UNESCO World Heritage · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Saint-Bénigne was the church of a powerful Benedictine abbey before it became Dijon's cathedral in 1792. Its Gothic nave sits under a roof of glazed Burgundy tiles and a spire about 93 metres high. Below lies the crypt, the surviving lowest level of a great round church built around the year 1000. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Location: 35 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.3214, 5.0344 - 43 min from Beaune - Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour - UNESCO World Heritage - Where: [Dijon · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) - Official website: [cathedrale-dijon.fr](https://www.cathedrale-dijon.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 43 min · 47 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): 43 min by road (47 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 The church honours Saint Benignus, a Christian martyr venerated in Dijon, and stands over his supposed sarcophagus. Soon after the year 1000, Abbot William of Volpiano built a vast three-storey rotunda at the east end of the abbey church, about 17 metres across. It was dedicated in the 1010s. Only its lowest storey survives, excavated in the 19th century and reworked as a crypt. The Romanesque church was rebuilt in Gothic style from the 1280s, after part of the older building collapsed. The abbey church became the cathedral of the diocese of Dijon in 1792, replacing Saint-Étienne, which later became a grain market. Stripped during the Revolution, it kept only its 18th-century organ. The architect Charles Suisse restored the building from 1884 and added the present spire in 1896. ## What you will see The nave is tall and sober, a clear example of Burgundian Gothic. Of its old furnishings, only the 18th-century organ survived the Revolution. The highlight is below ground. In the rotunda crypt, a ring of heavy columns, some with carved Romanesque capitals, surrounds the martyrium of Saint Benignus and its paving of coloured marble. Soft, low lighting adds to the feeling of great age. ## Planning your visit The cathedral is open daily and is an active place of worship. After years of work, the rotunda crypt is open again, but only on guided visits of about 50 minutes. The Archaeological Museum is next door, in the old abbey buildings. Check the official website for opening times and visit times. ## Did you know? Only the bottom storey of William of Volpiano's three-storey rotunda survives. Partly destroyed during the Revolution, it was rediscovered in the 19th century and turned into the crypt seen today. ## Around Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon What to combine with Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) (1 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) (7 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) (10 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) (2 km away): The surviving wing of a daring neoclassical pleasure house designed by Charles De Wailly. - [Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-fontaine-les-dijon), 3 km away: The hilltop birthplace of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, overlooking Dijon. - [Château de Marsannay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-marsannay) (7 km away): A modern wine château at the northern gateway to the Côte de Nuits. ### Things to do - [Dijon Archaeological Museum (Musée archéologique de Dijon)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-archeologique-dijon), 1 km away: Gallo-Roman gods, Bronze Age treasure and medieval sculpture in the old abbey of Saint-Bénigne. - [Saint-Philibert Church, Dijon (Église Saint-Philibert)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-philibert), 1 km away: Dijon's only Romanesque church, once the winegrowers' parish, now closed for a long restoration. - [Boutique Maille](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-maille-dijon) (1 km away): Maille's historic Dijon mustard shop, where fresh mustard is served from the pump. ### Restaurants - [William Frachot](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/william-frachot-dijon) (1 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Dijon's two-star table, reinventing Burgundy's classics inside the Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge - [Loiseau des Ducs](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/loiseau-des-ducs-dijon) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): The Loiseau signature in Dijon, served beneath the vaults of a sixteenth-century mansion - [La Maison des Cariatides](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-maison-des-cariatides-dijon) (1 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 Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon ### How far is Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon from Beaune? Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon is about 43 min from Beaune by road (47 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon take? For the visit, allow 30 minutes to 1 hour. ### When is Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (cathedrale-dijon.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Is Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, Dijon? 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=sight:saintbenigne): €120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: