The church of Saint-Jean de Dijon was built from 1448 to 1470. At that time, under the reigns of Philippe III and Charles the Bold, the Duchy of Burgundy was at its peak. Serving as a collegiate church of canons, the church in the Flamboyant Gothic style occupies the site of a basilica that originated in the 4th century, at the end of the Roman Empire.
Bossuet was baptized there in 1627.
Transformed into a market and then a warehouse during the Revolution, the church saw its spiers and turrets destroyed during this period.
In the 19th century, its choir was altered but worship was reestablished from 1862 to 1972. In 1974, once again desecrated, the church was refurbished to accommodate the Théâtre de Dijon Bourgogne, which has the rank of a national dramatic center. The site is also known as Parvis Saint-Jean.
The Dijon Bourgogne theater, created in 1955 by Jacques Fomier, had previously been based in Pernand-Vergelesses, Beaune, Chalon-sur-Saône and even Vougeot. For its inauguration at Dijon, the first show performed in the old church is "King Lear".
In addition to certain remarkable architectural elements visible on the outside, ornaments and examples of Flamboyant Gothic have been preserved in the enclosure now occupied by the theater. Visits possible, especially for groups: inquire at +33 3 80 30 12 12 or +33 3 80 68 47 47.
