--- title: "Église Notre-Dame de Cluny: How to Visit and What to See" description: "While the monks of Cluny prayed in their immense abbey church, the people of the town had their own parish church, Notre-Dame, a few steps away." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-notre-dame-cluny lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/eglise-notre-dame-cluny.png --- # Église Notre-Dame de Cluny > Église Notre-Dame de Cluny: Cluny's Gothic parish church, watched over by fifty carved faces and the three-faced Pidou-Berlu. Église Notre-Dame de Cluny is in Cluny (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 07 by road (87 km) from Beaune. Allow 20 to 30 minutes · Private driver from Beaune: €240 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. While the monks of Cluny prayed in their immense abbey church, the people of the town had their own parish church, Notre-Dame, a few steps away. It is a sober Gothic building of the 13th century, full of light, with a lantern tower over the crossing and rose windows in the transept. Inside, some fifty carved heads look down from the walls, among them the strange Pidou-Berlu. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Where: Cluny · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 65 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.4338, 4.6575 - 1 h 07 from Beaune - Allow 20 to 30 minutes - Cluny - Official website: [cluny-tourisme.com](https://www.cluny-tourisme.com/visites-incontournables/eglise-notre-dame/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 07 · 87 km - €240 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 07 by road (87 km), €240 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 Work on the church began in 1159 and went on into the 14th century. Notre-Dame became the main parish church of Cluny and stood at the heart of town life: in the 15th century it kept the official standards of measure for grain, flour, bread, floor tiles and roof tiles. Its great porch, which jutted out onto the square, was destroyed shortly before the Revolution. The church was classified as a historic monument in 1862. During the air raid on Cluny on 11 August 1944 it lost its 18th-century stained glass, and the present windows are the work of P. Choutet. ## What you will see From the square, with its fountain and a house with a Gothic window front, look up at the lantern tower and the rose windows of the transept. Inside, the nave has a remarkable unity, with a gallery running along its walls. Look for the carved heads, some young and framed in leaves, and for the crowned head with three faces, the Pidou-Berlu, which in fact stands for the Holy Trinity. The choir stalls of 1644 came from the Celestines' church in Lyon, and a 13th-century crucifix hangs above the altar. ## Planning your visit The church is a place of worship in the centre of Cluny, a minute from the tourist office and the Tour des Fromages, so the two fit together easily. Visits pause during services, and groups are not received. Allow 20 to 30 minutes. Children can look for the Pidou-Berlu, who is also the hero of the tourist office's family adventure game. ## Did you know? A standard Mâcon roof tile set into the church wall explains its 15th-century name, Notre-Dame des Panneaux, after the panneaux, the standards of measure it kept for the town. ## Around Église Notre-Dame de Cluny What to combine with Église Notre-Dame de Cluny 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. - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (18 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) (21 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. ### Châteaux - [Château de Lourdon](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lourdon) (3 km away): The ruined hilltop fortress of the abbots of Cluny, where the monks once hid their treasures. - [Château de Berzé-le-Châtel](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-berze-le-chatel) (6 km away): The largest medieval fortress of southern Burgundy, built to shield Cluny, with terraced gardens and its own wine. - [Château de Boutavent](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-boutavent) (6 km away): A spur-top castle that guarded the Grosne valley for the lords of Brancion, then for Cluny. ### Things to do - [Tour des Fromages](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/tour-des-fromages-cluny) (1 km away): A tower of the abbey wall of Cluny, with 120 steps up to the best view of the abbey town. - [Cluny Abbey (Abbaye de Cluny)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-cluny), 1 km away: The remains of the largest church in medieval Christendom, heart of a monastic order that spread across Europe. - [Cluny Market (Marché de Cluny)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-de-cluny), 1 km away: A Saturday morning market in the streets of Cluny's medieval town, right beside the abbey. ## Questions about Église Notre-Dame de Cluny ### How far is Église Notre-Dame de Cluny from Beaune? Église Notre-Dame de Cluny is about 1 h 07 from Beaune by road (87 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €240 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Église Notre-Dame de Cluny take? For the visit, allow 20 to 30 minutes. ### When is Église Notre-Dame de Cluny open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (cluny-tourisme.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Église Notre-Dame de Cluny? 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:notredamecluny): €240 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: