10 Churches to Explore in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

The Benedictine Abbey of Cluny was founded in the 10th century. Over the centuries, its vast Abbey church extended its influence over the whole of Europe. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churches built in succession from the 4th to the early 12th centuries. The earliest basilica was the world's largest church until St. Peter's Basilica construction began in Rome.

This monastic complex, located outside the fortifications, was founded by Queen Clotilde in the 5th century. This monument is witness to sixteen centuries of the history of Auxerre. Although composite, it offers an architectural ensemble of great interest. The abbey church is Gothic in style. In the late twentieth century, the abbey's residential and service buildings were remodeled as a museum, presenting prehistoric, Gallo-Roman, and medieval finds from Auxerre.

Espace Bernadette Soubirous Nevers is a former convent and the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers in Nevers, France, and is where the body of Saint Bernadette reposes. In 1970, it was converted into a sanctuary run by volunteers and a few sisters who administer to pilgrims and manage the building. There is also a museum that highlights the various steps in Bernadette’s life: the cachot, the grotto, Hospice of Lourdes and her time in Nevers. Some photographs and artifacts depict her

Dijon Cathedral, or at greater length the Cathedral of Saint Benignus of Dijon, is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Dijon, Burgundy, France, and dedicated to Saint Benignus of Dijon. The Gothic cathedral building, constructed between 1280 and 1325, and dedicated on 9 April 1393, is a listed national monument. it became the seat of the Diocese of Dijon during the French Revolution, replacing the previous cathedral when it was secularised.

Cathedral of Saint-Etienne de Sens is the Catholic cathedral of the archdiocese of Sens. Saint Stephen is considered the first martyr: his cult is associated in Sens with that of Saint John the Baptist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the first churches of Gothic architecture in Christendom with the Saint-Denis basilica. The cathedral is at the heart of a complex which also includes the former synodal palace and the former archiepiscopal palace.

The Church of Notre-Dame is a Roman Catholic church located in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne in France. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and is a church of the Archdiocese of Sens-Auxerre. The Church was registered in 1862 into Monuments historiques. It is a remarkable example of a Gothic church from the School of Champagne.

Notre Dame du Haut is a Catholic religious site – near the village of Ronchamp, eastern France – world-renowned for its chapel designed by Le Corbusier in the ’50s. It also comprises a monastery and a gatehouse and a nice bell portico. Since the French Revolution, the property is privately owned by a group of about forty local families. This chapel is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fontenay Abbey in Burgundy was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a leading French saint, and is the oldest preserved Cistercian abbey in the world. it was declared World Heritage by Unesco. The Abbey is decorated with a landscaped park which was listed in 2004 as a "Remarkable Garden" by the National Council of Parks and Gardens. The Abbey welcomes 100,000 visitors each year who come to admire the beauty and purity of architecture unspoiled for 900 years.

This magnificent Romanesque church has an austere façade dating from the 10 and 11C, its warm colors, and mighty walls relieved by Lombard bands. Like many other churches in France, it was secularised as a Temple of Reason during the French Revolution. The church is set in a fortified enclosure, and defense was evidently a factor in the design of the building.

The Cathedral of Saint Lazare is a Romanesque church that holds the bones of St. Lazarus. This cathedral has a stone portal on the west side with a tympanum depicting the Last Judgement. The Autun Cathedral is a magnificent display of Romanesque Art and Architecture. The sculptures created by Gislebertus successfully integrate biblical iconography relating to the new and old testament's with ease and amazing artistic ability.