"Cathedrale Saint-Benigne de Dijon" France Off The Beaten Path Tip by Paul2001

Cathedrale Saint-Benigne de Dijon in a fine medieval church. It has a spectatularly coloured tiled roof which drew my attention to the building. However it is for the crypt that the cathedral is famous. It is a rotunda shaped room with an inner circle of eight columns that is surrounded by an outer ring of sixteen more columns. The effect is quite wonderous and eery. This style one of the most atmospheric crypts that I have visited. The crypt leads into a circular ambulatory that leads to a chapel where the relics of Saint-Benigne are displayed. The crypt was originally built in 1001 but the remainder of the cathedral was built afterword in the 13th century in the Gothic style. Beyond the crypt, the remainder of the interior of the cathedral is hardly remarkable and rather musty.