--- title: "Notre-Dame de Dijon: The Owl, Gargoyles and Jacquemart Clock" description: "A 13th-century Gothic church with rows of false gargoyles, the Jacquemart clock and the lucky owl. Allow 30 to 45 minutes, with a driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/notre-dame-dijon lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/notre-dame-dijon.png --- # Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon (Église Notre-Dame de Dijon) > Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon: a 13th-century Gothic church with a famous clock, false gargoyles and Dijon's lucky owl. Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon is in Dijon (Côte-d'Or), 44 min by road (48 km) from Beaune. Allow 30 to 45 minutes · UNESCO World Heritage · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Notre-Dame is Dijon's most familiar church, built in the 13th century in the Burgundian Gothic style. Its façade carries rows of carved false gargoyles, and the Jacquemart clock strikes the hours above. On the north side, a small stone owl has become the city's good-luck charm. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Location: 35 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.3225, 5.0415 - 44 min from Beaune - Allow 30 to 45 minutes - UNESCO World Heritage - Where: [Dijon · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) - Official website: [destinationdijon.com](https://www.destinationdijon.com/patrimoine-culturel/eglise-notre-dame/) - From Beaune: ≈ 44 min · 48 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): 44 min by road (48 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 was built between about 1220 and 1250 on the site of an earlier chapel. Its western façade carries 51 false gargoyles, purely decorative. The present figures were carved between 1880 and 1882, during a restoration. A medieval story claims the originals were removed after a carved figure fell and killed a moneylender. The church was listed as a historic monument in 1840. In 1382 Philip the Bold took the Jacquemart clock and its bell from the Flemish town of Kortrijk, and in 1383 he had it installed on Notre-Dame. The striking figure, Jacquemart, was given a wife, Jacqueline, in 1651. A son, Jacquelinet, followed around 1714, and a daughter, Jacquelinette, in 1884. Taken as a trophy of war, the clock has struck the hours above the square ever since. Inside, the wooden Virgin known as Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir dates from the 11th or 12th century and is one of the oldest in France. Dijon credits her with two deliverances. In September 1513 Swiss, German and Franche-Comté troops besieged the city. After she was carried in procession, the Swiss unexpectedly left on 13 September. In September 1944, German troops left Dijon after a ceremony invoking her protection. ## What you will see Stand back on the square to take in the façade and its three tiers of grotesque figures, then look up at Jacquemart's family striking the bells. Inside, the nave rises about 18.5 metres. Find the ancient wooden Virgin in her chapel. Then walk round to rue de la Chouette and touch the worn stone owl with your left hand, as Dijon tradition asks, while you make a wish. ## Planning your visit Notre-Dame is an active parish church, so visit quietly and avoid service times. The owl is carved on the outside wall of a chapel on rue de la Chouette and can be seen at any hour. It is the key stop on the Owl's Trail. Check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? On 5 January 2001 a vandal struck the owl several times with a hammer. Using a mould made in 1988, restorers repaired it, and the work was finished in February 2001. ## Around Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon What to combine with Church of Notre-Dame, 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) (1 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) (8 km away): A modern wine château at the northern gateway to the Côte de Nuits. ### Things to do - [Maison Millière](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-milliere-dijon) (1 km away): A half-timbered merchant's house of 1483 beside Notre-Dame, on the street of Dijon's lucky owl. - [Fallot Shop and Workshop, Dijon (La Boutique Atelier Fallot)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/fallot-dijon), 1 km away: An independent family mustard house, with a tasting shop and workshop near the owl. - [The Owl’s Trail (Parcours de la Chouette)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parcours-de-la-chouette), 1 km away: Follow bronze owl arrows set in the pavement on a self-guided walk through old Dijon. ### Restaurants - [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 - [CIBO](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cibo-dijon) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred table in old Dijon that sources everything within 200 kilometres ### 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) ### Guides about Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon - [Burgundy with children](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-with-children) ## Questions about Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon ### How far is Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon from Beaune? Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon is about 44 min from Beaune by road (48 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 Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon take? For the visit, allow 30 to 45 minutes. ### When is Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (destinationdijon.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Is Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to Church of Notre-Dame, 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:notredamedijon): €120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: