Things to See in Chalon-sur-Saône

Chalon-sur-Saône links a medieval religious centre with the early history of photography and the river that gives the city its name. Historic architecture and museum collections account for its reputation as a city of art and history, while the local connection to Joseph Nicéphore Niépce gives that broad description a specific subject. Saint-Vincent Cathedral and its square provide the architectural focus; two museums cover photography, fine art and archaeology. Across the Saône, the quays face the small Île Saint-Laurent.

Saint-Vincent and the old centre

Cathédrale Saint-Vincent took more than five centuries to build, from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. Romanesque and Gothic work therefore appears within the same building. Its present façade is later: it was altered in 1827 after the original towers were judged at risk of collapse. The cathedral is protected as a historic monument.

Medieval half-timbered houses line Place Saint-Vincent around the cathedral. The square hosted fairs during the Middle Ages and later became the city’s market place. Its well-preserved domestic façades reflect the commercial activity once concentrated here.

Église Saint-Pierre provides a marked contrast. Built between 1698 and 1713, it is Baroque rather than medieval. Statues, some dating from the seventeenth century, fill the interior, and a prominent dome rises over the crossing of the transepts.

Photography, fine art and archaeology

Photography has a direct connection with Chalon-sur-Saône through Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. The Musée Nicéphore-Niépce, dedicated to the inventor, occupies the former royal courier hotel on the banks of the Saône. Its riverfront setting places the collection close to the quays and Île Saint-Laurent.

The Musée Vivant-Denon covers both fine art and archaeology. Its paintings include French, Italian, Flemish and Dutch work dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. The archaeological collections look further back, using tools and objects from prehistory and antiquity to document human presence in the surrounding part of France.

The original Niépce image Point de vue du Gras is not held at the photography museum. Its holdings nevertheless include nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs and some of the earliest cameras.

The Saône and Île Saint-Laurent

The Niépce museum occupies a former institutional building on the banks of the Saône, and the quays face Île Saint-Laurent across the water. This places the museum, quays and island along the same stretch of river.

Île Saint-Laurent is a small, wooded island within Chalon-sur-Saône. It was formerly occupied principally by the city’s hospital. After the hospital moved, the land became available for new urban and visitor uses. Its tree-lined setting provides space for rest beside the water, directly opposite the quays.