Top 8 Churches & Cathedrals in Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte

Reviewed By VadimM67 - Murmansk, Russia

The church of Notre Dame in its appearance is suitable for a cathedral. It was originally built in this capacity and was the home church for the inhabitants of the ducal palace. However, Saint-Benigne became a cathedral by the will of circumstances. However, the status of an ordinary church did not prevent Notre Dame from entering the World Heritage List in 2015. And all thanks to the western facade, which has no equal in French Gothic. Even if only it remained of the cathedral, it would be included in the World Heritage List, as happened with the facade of St. Paul's Cathedral in Macau. The 29-meter-high western facade attracts the eye with a contradictory combination of pointed arches on the first level and two rows of arcature galleries evoking memories of Venice with its Renaissance palaces. However, the idea does not fly away for a long time to the banks of the Grand Canal, because in the middle of the Renaissance arches we see quite Gothic gargoyles. Gargoyles as you know, in addition to intimidating, performed a much more important role as drains for cathedrals.However, the fake gargoyles that adorn the facade today are not medieval at all, but the result of the work of 7 Parisian sculptors from 1880 to 1882 during the restoration. Where did the real ones go? They were destroyed almost immediately after the completion of the work on Notre Dame in 1240. By the way, the church was built in a record-breaking 20 years for the Middle Ages. One of the moneylenders of Dijon decided to get married in the new church. And it must happen that a gargoyle depicting just moneylender fell from the facade and killed moneylender. Superstitious horror did not allow to return gargoyles back 6 centuries! In addition to the gargoyles, there are 3 other attractions in Dijon's Notre Dame. The first attraction is located inside, the second is at the top, and the third is located below. The statue of Our Lady of Bon Hope, or the Black Virgin, is located in the church. Le Jacquemart clock is located in the bell tower. The watch, brought as a trophy from the looted Flanders Kortrijk, consists of four metal automatons. Two , Jacquemart and Jacqueline, ring a large bell with a hammer. Two other automatons, their "children" Jacquelinet and Jacquelinette, strike from a quarter of an hour to a quarter of an hour, each with a small bell. It is necessary to climb up to this structure. But the third one is publicly available. This is the symbol of Dijon - the owl, which the tourists who believe in pagan habits have already erased. After all, touching it brings good luck. The experiment has been going on for many years with thousands of teachers, and the owl is being erased little by little...