Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon

Updated April 16, 2024

## Visiting Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon: History, Clock & Quiet Corners of a Complex Cathedral

Just below Besançon’s Vauban citadel, Cathédrale Saint-Jean anchors the old town with a layout and history that are genuinely unusual in France. This is not just “another medieval church”: it’s one of the very few cathedrals in the country with two opposing choirs and a 19th-century astronomical clock that still draws clockmakers, engineers, and curious travelers from around the world.

If you’re planning time in eastern France or tracing the UNESCO-listed fortifications of Besançon, this cathedral deserves a proper stop, not just a quick photo from the square.

—

## Quick Facts for Travelers

– Name: Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon (Besançon Cathedral)
– Location: 10 Rue de la Convention / 25 Rue du Chapitre, 25000 Besançon, France – in the historic center at approx. 47.2337° N, 6.0307° E.
– Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic; seat of the Archbishop of Besançon.
– Architectural core: Romanesque with Gothic and 18th-century Louis XV additions.
– Signature features:
– Double choir with two facing apses, an extremely rare plan in France.
– Astronomical clock (19th c.) by Auguste-Lucien Vérité, with 120+ indications and animated figures.
– 18th-century décor and paintings in the “Saint-Suaire” apse by Natoire, de Troy and Van Loo.

—

## A Short History: From Early Christianity to Recent Restoration

### Early foundations and the double-choir plan

Christian worship in Besançon goes back at least to late Roman times; the city had a bishop by the 4th century. The present cathedral stands on a site that has seen several successive churches, including a Carolingian building dedicated to Saint-Étienne, already using a double-apse layout (two opposing apses) with one oriented west and the other east.

In the 12th century, Archbishop Anséri launched a complete reconstruction. The new cathedral kept the unusual two-apse plan:

– A western apse dedicated to Saint John, housing the main liturgical choir.
– An eastern apse, often called the Virgin’s or Saint-Suaire apse.

This Romanesque-Rhenish plan, more common in German territories, makes Saint-Jean effectively unique among French cathedrals.

### Medieval fire and Gothic overlays

A major fire in 1212 destroyed the wooden roof but left the walls standing. Reconstruction in the 13th century introduced Gothic vaults and upper windows, while retaining much of the Romanesque structure. Pillars were modified to carry the new ribbed vaults, but the original rhythm of the nave was preserved as far as possible, so today you read both periods in the stone.

### Baroque and classical re-working

From the 17th to 18th centuries, landslides and a collapsing tower forced significant rebuilding, including:

– A new counter-choir (eastern apse) in the early 18th century, with Louis XV décor expressly designed to display a copy of the Holy Shroud (a shroud venerated here since the 16th c., later lost during the French Revolution).
– A new bell tower completed in 1734 on the opposite side of the nave.

Paintings in the Saint-Suaire apse by Charles-Joseph Natoire, Jean-François de Troy and Carle Van Loo (c. 1750–1755) depict scenes from the Passion, echoing the vanished relic.

### 19th–21st centuries

The 19th century brought two big interventions:

– The installation of the astronomical clock by Auguste-Lucien Vérité between 1858 and 1860.
– Re-roofing and interior updates, including stained glass and mosaics in the choir in the late 19th century.

More recently, from 2017 to 2020, the cathedral underwent a major conservation campaign: roofs, tower, façades and the astronomical clock were all restored.

—

## Inside the Cathedral: What to Look For

### 1. The double choir and opposing apses

Standing in the nave, take a moment to look both east and west:

– To the west, the main liturgical choir rises in two levels – an underlying 12th-century Romanesque structure (seven small windows) and a later Gothic level with tall pointed windows.
– To the east, the Saint-Suaire apse carries 18th-century stucco, gilded wood and marble, giving a very different visual language.

This face-to-face arrangement is not decorative whim; it preserves the memory of earlier twin churches on the site and reflects liturgical practices where different choirs had distinct roles.

### 2. Baroque paintings and the lost shroud

In the Saint-Suaire apse, look for large canvases illustrating:

– The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen and Christ at Gethsemane by Jean-François de Troy,
– The Entombment by Charles-Joseph Natoire,
– Additional works by Carle Van Loo.

They were conceived as a narrative cycle leading up to the Resurrection, in dialogue with the shroud that once drew pilgrims here. The shroud itself disappeared during the Revolution; that loss is historical fact, not legend.

### 3. The “Rose of Saint-Jean” and other liturgical objects

The cathedral preserves an unusual circular marble altar known as the “Rose of Saint-Jean”, originally from the former Saint-Étienne cathedral. It carries a central Christ monogram (chi-rho) with the Greek letters alpha and omega, a cross and lamb, and eight lobes where hosts were placed—essentially an early liturgical “diagram” in stone.

Elsewhere in the nave and chapels, look for:

– A Pietà from the 16th century.
– A marble tomb with recumbent effigy (gisant).
– A circular white-marble altar in the nave, echoing early Christian forms.

These are not random decorative pieces; they mark the cathedral’s continuous re-use of earlier liturgical furnishings across centuries.

### 4. Organs and sound

Today the cathedral houses both a choir organ and a large tribune organ (Danion-Gonzalez, 1987), placed in the north aisle. It uses mechanical key action with electro-mechanical stop control and has been further worked on in 2016 by the organ builder Formentelli.

If you can time your visit for a recital or service, the instrument gives you a sense of the building’s acoustic design; this is not guaranteed every day, so consider this a bonus rather than a fixed feature.

—

## The Astronomical Clock: Mechanical Theatre in a Side Room

### What it is

The Horloge astronomique de Besançon is installed in one of the lower rooms of the bell tower, accessible from inside the cathedral via about fifteen steps or from 25 Rue du Chapitre.

Key facts:

– Designed and built by horologist Auguste-Lucien Vérité between 1857/58 and 1860.
– Replaced an earlier, problematic astronomical clock by Constant Flavien Bernardin.
– Provides around 120–122 different indications, including time in various world cities, liturgical calendar data, tides, eclipses, seasons and more.
– Classified as a Monument Historique (object) in 1991.

Vérité’s design uses a large central movement driving a network of secondary mechanisms and animated figures that move according to the calendar and the hour.

### How the visit works (and what might change)

– The clock room is small; guided visits are mandatory and capped at around 20 people, typically lasting about 40 minutes.
– As of recent information, adult tickets for the clock are listed around 5 €, with various concessions and free entry for certain younger visitors (especially EU residents under 26). du Jura
– Typical public opening ranges (for the clock, not the whole cathedral) are 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–18:00, with closures on some Mondays and major public holidays. du Jura

These times, prices and concessions are subject to change; recent tourism listings and the official site of the horloge astronomique explicitly advise checking current schedules and booking conditions before visiting.

Practical note on accessibility: the clock is reached by stairs; the managing body notes that it is located in a lower room of the bell tower and accessible only via a short climb, which can be limiting for visitors with reduced mobility.

Security and weather: official ticketing information states that, in extreme heat or bad weather, some parts of the monument may be closed or the visit route altered for safety (including national Vigipirate measures).

—

## Planning Your Visit: Logistics & Tips

### Getting there

– On foot / in the old town: The cathedral is in the historic “Boucle” of Besançon, the loop of the Doubs river. It sits below the Citadel of Besançon, which overlooks the quarter from the hill above.
– By car: From the A36 motorway, exit 4 leads towards the city center; official information for the astronomical clock notes that there is parking in the vicinity of the monument.
– By train + local transport: From Besançon’s main stations (Viotte and Mouillère), the cathedral area is reachable by city buses; Besançon tourism and independent travel guides recommend public transport or walking, since driving and parking in the historic core can be awkward.

### Suggested time on site

– Cathedral only: 30–45 minutes for a thoughtful walk-through.
– Cathedral + astronomical clock guided tour: Allow about 1.5–2 hours in total once you factor in waiting and tour time, based on the standard 40-minute clock tour duration.

### Combining with other Besançon highlights

Within a short radius you can also reach:

– The Citadel of Besançon, Vauban’s hilltop fortress and a major UNESCO-listed site.
– The riverfront walks along the Doubs and the historic lanes of the Boucle, both emphasized in regional tourism guides as the core of an old-town visit.

—

## Practical, Inclusive Tips

Key Highlights

Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon

Location

Places to Stay Near Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon

Find and Book a Tour

Explore More Travel Guides