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Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon (Église Notre-Dame de Dijon)

A 13th-century Gothic church with a famous clock, false gargoyles and Dijon's lucky owl.

  • Abbey or church
  • 44 min from Beaune
  • Allow 30 to 45 minutes
  • UNESCO World Heritage

€120one way from Beaune with a private driver

Book a driver here 
The west front of Notre-Dame in Dijon, with its rows of gargoyles
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Location 35 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or
See it on the full map
Official website
destinationdijon.com⁠

Getting there

Private driver from Beaune: 44 min by road (48 km), €120 one way for the whole car.

Or add it to our full-day wine tour, €560.

Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →

About the place

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.

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.

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.

Planning your visit

Tips for 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.

Around here

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Questions

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.

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.

Sources

Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon with a private driver

€120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests

Book a driver here