--- title: "Chapelle des Moines, Berzé-la-Ville: Opening Times, Tickets" description: "12th-century wall paintings, the only surviving monumental paintings of Cluny's great age. Open April to October. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/chapelle-des-moines-berze-la-ville lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/chapelle-des-moines-berze-la-ville.png --- # Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville (Chapelle des Moines de Berzé-la-Ville) > Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville: a small Romanesque chapel holding the only surviving monumental paintings of Cluny's great age. Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville is in Berzé-la-Ville (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 12 by road (96 km) from Beaune. Allow 45 minutes · Private driver from Beaune: €260 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. On a rock above Berzé-la-Ville, a modest priory chapel hides a masterpiece. Its 12th-century wall paintings are the only surviving examples of the monumental painting of Cluny. The chapel was built for Abbot Hugh of Semur, who came here to rest, and it is now cared for by the Centre des monuments nationaux. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Where: Berzé-la-Ville · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 75 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.3635, 4.7004 - 1 h 12 from Beaune - Allow 45 minutes - Berzé-la-Ville - Official website: [chapelle-des-moines.fr](https://www.chapelle-des-moines.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 12 · 96 km - €260 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): 1 h 12 by road (96 km), €260 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 Berzé-la-Ville appears in the records of Cluny from 1042. Abbot Hugh of Semur acquired the estate step by step, and Cluny's full ownership was settled in 1100. The chapel was probably built from that date, on a rock, for the abbot, who stayed here often in his last years and received important guests, including Pope Paschal II at Christmas 1106. Hugh died in 1109, before the work was finished. Little is recorded about the priory in later centuries. At the Revolution it was sold and used as a farm building. In 1887 the parish priest, Philibert Jolivet, discovered the paintings under whitewash. In 1947 the British archaeologist Joan Evans bought the chapel and gave it to the Académie de Mâcon, and since 2016 it has been managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux. ## What you will see The ticket covers both the lower and the upper chapel. In the apse, a Christ in Majesty four metres high fills the half-dome, handing the law and the keys to Saints Peter and Paul, a theme rare in Romanesque painting. Below come the early saints, the martyrdoms of Saint Blaise and Saint Vincent, and the wise virgins. The deep colours and the style show a strong influence from Rome. ## Planning your visit The chapel opens from April to October, at weekends in April and October and from Thursday to Sunday from May to September, and closes from November to March; check the official website for opening times. Tickets are sold on site only, and a joint ticket includes the Abbey of Cluny and its museum. The chapel lies between Cluny and Mâcon, so it combines well with either. ## Did you know? In the spiritual will he wrote in 1109, Abbot Hugh chose Berzé to fund a yearly feast on the anniversary of his death, with abundant food and drink for the monks of Cluny. ## Around Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville What to combine with Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (10 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (12 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. - [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. ### Châteaux - [Maison de Lamartine](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/maison-de-lamartine-milly) (2 km away): The childhood home of Alphonse de Lamartine, a winegrowers' house that inspired some of his finest poems. - [Château de Berzé-le-Châtel](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-berze-le-chatel) (3 km away): The largest medieval fortress of southern Burgundy, built to shield Cluny, with terraced gardens and its own wine. - [Château de Pierreclos](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-pierreclos) (4 km away): A medieval castle turned wine estate on a rocky spur near Solutré, full of Lamartine memories. ### Things to do - [Château de la Greffière et Musée de la Vigne et du Vin](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/chateau-de-la-greffiere-musee-de-la-vigne-et-du-vin) (2 km away): A family estate between Mâcon and Cluny, with a museum of 2,000 old tools and an 18th-century tasting cellar. - [Rock of Vergisson (Roche de Vergisson)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/roche-de-vergisson), 6 km away: Solutré's quieter twin, a limestone cliff above the village of Vergisson with views across the vineyards. - [Domaine Fichet](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-fichet-ige) (6 km away): A family estate in the hamlet of Le Martoret at Igé, whose growers trace their roots back to 1408. ### Restaurants - [L’O des Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-o-des-vignes-fuisse) (10 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Meilleur Ouvrier de France cooking in the heart of Pouilly-Fuissé. - [La Table de Chaintré](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-de-chaintre) (12 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): One menu a week, one husband-and-wife team, in a former village grocery near Mâcon. ## Questions about Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville ### How far is Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville from Beaune? Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville is about 1 h 12 from Beaune by road (96 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €260 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville take? For the visit, allow 45 minutes. ### When is Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (chapelle-des-moines.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville? 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:berze): €260 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: