Évêché d'Autun

Established at the end of the 3rd century, the diocese of Autun is very old. Its first powerful historical bishop, Rétice, resided in Augustodunum, but it is not clear where his episcopal see was located. The first cathedral, Saint-Nazaire, appeared at the end of the 4th century to the west of the present bishopric. The house of the Church, the first residence of the bishops, was therefore located nearby, and would continue to grow. It was first mentioned in the Passion of Saint Léger in the 7th century. In the 13th century, the bishopric resembled a fortified castle. The Saint Léger tower, the bishop's keep, is the only externally visible vestige of the medieval fortifications. This complex complex still retains its 13th-century core, while its exterior gradually took on the appearance of a pleasure residence, like a private mansion set between courtyard and garden. In the eighteenth century, the former entrance, impasse de l'évêché, became a secondary passageway, while the monumental doorway at Place du Cardinal Perraud became the main entrance, opening onto the large classical wing.

There are no tourist activities on site, but you can enter the courtyard and see the building from the outside.

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