Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville (Chapelle des Moines de Berzé-la-Ville)
A small Romanesque chapel holding the only surviving monumental paintings of Cluny's great age.
- Abbey or church
- 1 h 12 from Beaune
- Allow 45 minutes
- Berzé-la-Ville
€260one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- chapelle-des-moines.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 12 by road (96 km), €260 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit
Tips for 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.
Around here
What to combine with Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
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.
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.
Sources
Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville with a private driver
€260 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests