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Origin and history

The castle of Fontaine-lès-Dijon, built in the 11th century on a strategic hill, was erected by Tescelin le Roux, vassal of Duke Eudes I of Burgundy. This lord of Fontaines and knight was watching the Dijon-Châtillon-sur-Seine road. In 1090 his son Bernard de Clairvaux was born there, marking the history of the place. A chapel dedicated to Saint Ambrosinian, built in 1102 by Saint Alèthe, the mother of Bernard, preceded the Saint Bernard church built in the 14th and 16th centuries.

Until the 14th century, the castle and seigneury remained in the hands of the descendants of Tescelin le Roux, including the Sombernon-Fontaine, Saulx-Fontaine and Marey-Fontaine families. In 1462 Bernard de Marey gave up part of the estate to the Abbey of Cîteaux, which established a chapel there. The castle then changed hands, passing to the Rolin and Rochefort families, before being transformed in 1613 by the order of the Feuillants into a royal monastery under the protection of Louis XIII. Two Renaissance chapels, decorated with the weapons of the King and Queen Anne of Austria, were added.

At the time of the Revolution, the monastery was dismantled stone by stone, and the ruins were abandoned until 1821. Repurchased in 1840 by canon Renault allowed the site to be restored to worship. In 1881, a major restoration took place, followed in 1891 by the construction of the centennial basilica, unconsecrated, to commemorate the 800 years of Saint Bernard. This basilica, initially without a definitive roof, was not completed until 1991. The site, occupied successively by the Redemptorists, the Brothers of the Resurrection and the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, is now entrusted to the Chanoes of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

The architecture of the castle, profoundly redesigned over the centuries, and the neo-Gothic basilica frame the Place des Feuillants. The convent and Basilica Saint-Bernard, inscribed in the historical monuments in 1988, form an emblematic ensemble of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, mixing medieval heritage, Renaissance and religious devotion.

The Saint Bernard site, including the castle, the basilica and the church, bears witness to nine centuries of history linked to Saint Bernard and the Cistercian order. The ruins, restored at the end of the 19th century by Abbé Christian de Bretenières, retain their present appearance, attracting pilgrims and visitors for its architectural and spiritual heritage.

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