Saint-Bénigne Cathedral

Prior to being a cathedral, this building was a monastery built in 871. It was rebuilt as a cathedral in the 11th century by Guillaume de Volpiano. However, as early as the 6th century, a basilica dedicated to Saint Bénigne, a 2nd-century martyr, stood on this site. Rebuilt in the 9th century to accommodate the ever-increasing number of pilgrims who came to worship here, it became 100 metres long , and was thus considered to be the largest church in the Christian world at that time. The nave, in the Burgundian Gothic style, is built on three levels and features the colourful roofs typical of Burgundy. Its 100-metre-high spire overlooks the city. Despite its beauty and grandeur, the church has suffered considerable damage over the course of history, including a fire, a tower that collapsed, severe damage caused by lack of maintenance and looting during the French Revolution. Threatened with demolition in the early 19th century because of its poor state, it was finally restored in 1830 and listed as a Historic Monument in 1862, along with its crypt, which contains the sarcophagus of Saint Bénigne de Dijon, a 2nd-century Christian martyr.