The Royal Monastery of Brou (at Bourg-en-Bresse) was built between 1506 and 1532 by Margaret of Austria, the Regent of the Netherlands, so as to perpetuate for posterity both her glory and her love for her husband, Philibert the Fair, Duke of Savoy.
The church is a flamboyant Gothic masterpiece with rich ornamentation comprised of tombs, a rood screen, statues and stalls, acting as an exceptional museum for 16th-century Flemish sculpture. The sumptuous stained-glass windows telling various stories were made around 1525 and are still intact.
Thanks to a major restoration campaign, the roof is once again covered in varnished, coloured tiles. The Brou museum is housed in the monastery rooms and has a rich collection of art from the 16th through to the 20th century. Sculptures from the 12th to the 16th century may be seen in the refectory, with contemporary sculptures in the cloisters, and there are temporary exhibitions in the chapter rooms, whilst the cells upstairs are used to display paintings and furniture.
The Royal Monastery of Brou has been opened to the public by the Centre des monuments nationaux and the Municipality of Bourg-en-Bresse.
Practical information
Centre des monuments nationaux - Monastère royal de Brou
Tel. 04 74 22 83 83
63 boulevard de Brou
01000 Bourg-en-Bresse
www.brou.monuments-nationaux.fr
Opening times
Open every day
1 April to 30 June: 9 am to 12.30pm and 2 pm to 6 pm
1 July to 16 September: 9 am to 6 pm
17 to 30 September: 9 am to 12.30pm and 2 pm to 6 pm
1 October to 31 March: 9 am to midday and 2 pm to 5 pm.
Closed
1 January, 1 May, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December
Prices
Full rate: €7.50
Reduced rate: €4.50 (18- to 25-year-old non-EU citizens)
Group rate: €6.00 (adult groups of over 20 people, groups led by a tourism professional, a lecture guide, or an EU guide)
Price for school party bookings: €30.00; 35 pupils maximum
Free entry
Under-18s (in a family group and excluding school groups)
18-25 year-olds (from the 27 EU member states and regular non-EU residents living on French soil)
1st Sunday of the month from January to May and from November to December
Disabled persons and their accompanying adult,
Jobseekers on presentation of proof dating from the past 6 months
Journalists
Audio guide tour (in addition to entrance ticket)
Full rate: + €4.50
Couple (2 machines): + €6.00
Adult group: + €3.00
Disabled visitors: + €3.00
Under-18s: + €3.00
Languages available: French, English, German, Italian and Dutch
Getting there
By train: direct TGV Paris - Bourg-en-Bresse in 2 hours. From the station it takes 15 minutes by foot, or else take bus number 3 or number 8 as far as the "champ de foire" station, and then take bus number 5, alighting at the "église de Brou" stop.
From Mâcon: take the A40 and leave at exit number 7, and then the N75 to Bourg-en-Bresse
From Lyon: take the A42, and leave at exit number 7, and then the N75 to Bourg-en-Bresse
