Gem of Forez, the small town of Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, perched on its promontory, has a remarkable medieval district in which the walker can discover the Gothic collegiate church, whose crypt is home to murals dating from the 15th century, and the picturesque streets lined with old houses.
As Saint-Bonnet-le-Château is the historic birthplace of the pétanque ball, fans of the game should definitely pay a visit to the international pétanque and boules museum.
Saint-Bonnet-le-Château is nestled in the heart of the Monts du Forez. Its numerous medieval and Renaissance houses attest to its rich past: when tanners, weavers, gunsmiths and then locksmiths rubbed shoulders.
Set off to discover its medieval gates, its historic collegiate church and its cobbled streets. Saint-Bonnet-le-Château welcomes you for a journey through time from the Middle Ages to today.
Visit of the college of Saint-Bonnet-le-Château: For more than 600 years the collegiate dominates the commune. It testifies to the long and prosperous history of the city. Crossed inheritance of the Counts of Forez and Dukes of Bourbon, it contains two artistic jewels: the low chapel entirely decorated with murals of the beginning of the 15th century as well as an eighteenth century library. Do not forget the "mummies", these mummified bodies of the seventeenth century, found in a vault under the collegiate. Their spectacular conservation, due to the composition of the soil, gives them this particular aspect.
Attention: the library, the lower chapel and the bell tower are only guided tours.
The college is open from Easter to All Saints' Day from Wednesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and the second weekend of each month).
Information and reservation at +33 4 77 50 11 15 / collegiale@saintbonnetlechateau.fr
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The weekly market is held on Friday morning.
The patronal feast is held on the 1st weekend of July.
