Bourg-en-Bresse Cathedral, Catholic co-cathedral in Bourg-en-Bresse, France

Bourg-en-Bresse Cathedral is a Gothic church whose tall stone tower rises in stacked stages, with a clock face set in carved stone beneath a round-arched opening and a belfry topped by a grey-domed cupola. Inside, rows of brown wooden benches line a central stone-slab walkway between clustered columns supporting pointed ribbed vaults, and a dark carved wooden pulpit projects from a column on the right.

A place of worship stood on this site by the 13th century, and the current building was begun around 1505 and continued across several generations of builders. That long construction period explains the mix of Gothic forms with early modern stonework still visible today.

The building serves as a co-cathedral, meaning it shares its role as a bishop's seat with another church in the department. This unusual arrangement gives it a special place in the religious life of the city today.

The cathedral stands in Bourg-en-Bresse, not on a main square; the sources give no square name, so orient yourself by the old town around it. Roof, waterproofing, stained glass, clock and gilded cross have been under restoration since 2024, so parts of the exterior may be screened. The interior hall is entered from the back of the seating, with a central stone-slab walkway between the benches.

Restoration work on the roof, waterproofing, stained glass, clock and golden cross has been under way since 2024. The church was listed as a monument historique on 21 December 1914, and only one original stained-glass panel survives from the collegiate church: the 1526 window of Saints Crépin and Crépinien, patrons of the tanners and shoemakers.