European Heritage Days

Major multi-site event

Come and discover Auguste-Lucien Vérité's technical and poetic masterpiece and understand the challenges of restoring the Besançon Astronomical Clock during the European Heritage Days.

Illustration des JEP 2025

  • 20 and 21 September  : 

    10am - 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 6pm

  • Free

  • General public

  • Due to the small size of the room, time slots must be booked via the monument's e-ticketing service.

  • Book your ticket

Presentation

Theastronomical clock in Besançon's Saint-Jean cathedral was designed and built by the clockmaker Auguste-Lucien Vérité between 1858 and 1860 at the request of Cardinal Matthieu.

Installed in a room in the bell tower, it is the central point of a very important mechanism. It is equipped with a precise and complex mechanism comprising over 30,000 parts and 11 movements.

Thanks to guided tours during the European Heritage Days, itsingenious mechanism and the challenges of restoring it will hold no secrets for you.

European Heritage Days at CMN monuments

Discover the programme for the other monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux.

Visit