Three marble tombs, 74 hand-carved oak choir stalls and a shimmering tiled roof — the Monastère royal de Brou is one of France's finest Flamboyant Gothic masterpieces, raised in Bourg-en-Bresse between 1506 and 1532 as Margaret of Austria's tribute to her husband, Philibert II of Savoy.
See ticket optionsOne adult · full access, valid all day on your chosen date
€19
“The three tombs are extraordinary up close — the amount of detail Conrad Meit put into the marble is hard to believe. We booked our ticket the week before and it made planning the rest of our Lyon trip much easier.”
“We weren't expecting the choir stalls to be the highlight, but the carving is so dense and strange — little figures everywhere. The museum in the cloisters was a nice surprise too, we hadn't planned for it.”
“Stopped here on our way between Lyon and Geneva and it was completely worth the detour. The roof tiles alone are worth the trip, and having the ticket ready on my phone meant we didn't lose any time at the desk.”
5-minute audio guide
A short, calm narrative — why Margaret of Austria built this monastery, what to look for in the three tombs and the choir stalls, and how the church, the apartments and the cloisters fit together. Listen on the walk in from the station.
Recorded for Monastère de Brou Tickets concierge. Free to download.
The Monastère royal de Brou stands on the eastern edge of Bourg-en-Bresse, in the Ain department of eastern France. It was commissioned by Margaret of Austria, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and regent of the Habsburg Netherlands, as a dynastic monument and burial place for her husband, Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, who died young in 1504. Building work ran at extraordinary speed for the period — from 1506 to 1532 — and produced one of the last and most lavish flowerings of Flamboyant Gothic architecture in France, with Renaissance touches already visible in its detail.
At the heart of the church stand three tombs carved by the sculptor Conrad Meit: Philibert II's, in white Carrara marble with ten sibyls beneath; Margaret of Austria's own, the largest of the three, pairing a marble effigy in state dress with a younger alabaster figure below; and that of Margaret of Bourbon, Philibert's mother, in black marble with a greyhound at her feet. Around them, 74 oak choir stalls carved in 1532 are worked with an astonishing density of figures, foliage and grotesques — one of the richest surviving stall ensembles in France. Above it all rises the church's roof, laid in patterned, glazed polychrome tiles in the Burgundian style.
Beyond the church, the monastery's three cloisters and former conventual buildings now house Bourg-en-Bresse's municipal fine-arts museum, with religious sculpture from the 13th to 17th centuries and paintings spanning the 16th to 20th. Managed today by the Centre des monuments nationaux, the site is protected as a monument historique. We handle the ticketing so your date-specific admission is confirmed before you arrive — one less thing to plan once you're in Bourg-en-Bresse.
Monastère de Brou Tickets is an independent concierge service that helps international visitors reserve and receive their admission ticket in English. We are not the monastery and we are not an official vendor — we obtain a genuine admission ticket on your behalf from the Centre des monuments nationaux' ticketing system, and our service fee is included in the price you see. If you prefer to buy directly, the Centre des monuments nationaux runs its own ticket desk on site and its own online shop.
Plan your visit
Which season, which hour, and why a quiet morning changes everything — a concierge timing guide to Margaret of Austria's Flamboyant Gothic monastery.
A short walk from the station, a straightforward drive from Lyon or Geneva, or a stop on the way from Paris — here is how to reach the monastery.
Carved tombs, strange little figures hidden in the choir stalls, and quiet cloisters to explore — a family guide to Margaret of Austria's monastery.
No fixed time slot — your ticket is date-specific rather than timed, so it's valid any time during opening hours on the day you choose. Just arrive within opening hours on your selected date.
Your admission is arranged and confirmed before you arrive, so you go straight in with your mobile ticket rather than queuing at the desk. There's no timed entry to coordinate — you choose the day, we handle the booking.
Full access to the church with its three royal tombs and 74 carved choir stalls, Margaret of Austria's apartments, the fine-arts museum housed in the former monastic buildings, and all three cloisters. It's one ticket covering the whole monastery for the day.
We send your ticket to your email as a mobile ticket with a QR code once your booking is confirmed. There's nothing to print — show it on your phone at the entrance.
The monastery is a 15–20 minute walk from Bourg-en-Bresse railway station, or a short taxi ride. Bourg-en-Bresse itself is under two hours from Paris by direct TGV, and about an hour by car from Lyon.
Most visitors spend around two hours exploring the church, the tombs, the apartments, the museum and the cloisters — longer if the choir stalls or the museum's collections particularly interest you. There's no fixed schedule, so you set the pace.
Margaret of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, commissioned it as a dynastic monument and burial place after the early death of her husband, Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, in 1504. Building ran from 1506 to 1532.
Carved by the sculptor Conrad Meit, they belong to Philibert II (white Carrara marble, ten sibyls beneath), Margaret of Austria herself (the largest, pairing a marble effigy with a younger alabaster figure), and Margaret of Bourbon, Philibert's mother, in black marble.
A set of 74 oak stalls carved in 1532, densely worked with figures, foliage and grotesques — one of the richest surviving ensembles of its kind in France, arranged around the choir in front of the three tombs.
The monastery's three cloisters and former conventual buildings now house Bourg-en-Bresse's municipal fine-arts museum, with religious sculpture from the 13th to 17th centuries and paintings from the 16th to 20th, all included in the same ticket.
Under-18s and EU citizens under 26 can enter free directly through the monastery's own ticket desk, along with a few other categories set by the operator. Our concierge ticket is for adult visitors who want date-specific admission arranged in English before they travel.
Largely, yes. The site holds Tourisme et Handicap certification, with lifts, adapted restrooms, wheelchairs on request and accessible parking near the entrance covering most of the church, apartments, museum and cloisters.
Yes, personal photography is welcome throughout the church, the apartments and the cloisters. Flash may be restricted in a few museum galleries to protect the paintings and sculptures, and signage on site will tell you where.
It's closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Outside those dates it's open daily, with longer hours from April to September. We'll flag it if a closure affects the date you've chosen.
No — it's protected in France as a monument historique (since 1862) and managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, but it does not currently hold UNESCO World Heritage status.
Because admission is date-specific, please choose your travel date with care when you book. All sales are final once confirmed; the only exception is a full refund if the operator cancels your visit. See our terms for the full policy.
No. We're an independent concierge service for international visitors. We obtain a genuine admission ticket on your behalf and handle the booking in your own language. Our service fee is included in the price shown, and you can always buy directly from the Centre des monuments nationaux if you prefer.
The price you see is the price you pay — we show it in your local currency where we can and charge exactly that amount, with no surprise fees at checkout. Payment is by card on a secure page.