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Origin and history

The 13th century Beaune Chapter Building is a typical example of medieval canonical houses. From a square plane, it is distinguished by a symmetrical northwest facade, decorated with twin windows with trilobes and carved archvolts. Its entrance, accessible by a staircase of six steps, overlooks an elevated ground floor housing a vaulted basin, classified as a Historic Monument in 1948. The cellars, divided into two vessels, communicate by a lintel door and are covered with arches supported by central pillars.

Originally, this building was one of the 19 canonical houses belonging to the Beaune chapter before the French Revolution. Its attic, which has now been redesigned, once housed a large attic, while the ground floor was occupied by an open-plan bowl and remains of monumental chimneys. In the 19th and 20th centuries, part of the ground floor was transformed into an apartment, and rooms were set up in the attic, illustrating its adaptation to modern uses.

The architecture of the Beaune Chapter reflects its dual heritage: religious, by its affiliation to the chapter, and wine-growing, through its medieval winery. The cross frame of St.Andre and the sculpted details (foils, trilobes) bear witness to a 13th century artisanal know-how. Despite subsequent modifications, the building retains original structural elements, such as cellars and the north-west gable wall, providing a rare glimpse of Burgundy canonical life.

Located in the Notre Dame impasse, the monument is now partially accessible, with a geolocalized location deemed fair (note 5/10). Its classification in 1948 concerns only the winery, stressing its heritage importance in a wider architectural set, marked by centuries of religious and wine history in Burgundy.

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