The Owl of Dijon (la Chouette) is a small stone owl carved on the north side of the Church of Notre-Dame, on the pedestrian Rue de la Chouette. For generations, passers-by have stroked it with the left hand while making a wish, and so many hands have touched it that it is worn almost smooth. It has become the emblem of the city: the Owl Trail through the old town is marked with owl plaques set into the pavement.
The Owl of Dijon at a glance
- Where: Rue de la Chouette, on the north wall of the Church of Notre-Dame, in Dijon's old town.
- Carved: date and sculptor unknown; the chapel it is carved on was added to the church in the late 15th or early 16th century.
- What it is today: Dijon's lucky charm and unofficial mascot, repaired after a hammer attack in 2001 and now watched by cameras.
- Time needed: 5 minutes for the owl, around 30 minutes if you add the church and its Jacquemart clock.
A Gothic church, a later chapel and an unsolved mystery
The Church of Notre-Dame was built roughly between the 1220s and the 1240s, in the middle of the medieval town. Its architect is unknown, and so is the story behind the owl. The carving sits on a buttress of a chapel added much later, and no record explains why it is there. One theory says it was the signature of a builder called Chouet, a pun on chouette, the French word for owl; others link it to the owl of Athena, goddess of wisdom, or read it as a medieval symbol of watchfulness. None of these has been proven.
What is certain is the damage done by time and by hands. On the night of 5 to 6 January 2001, someone attacked the owl with a hammer and badly damaged it. The city had it repaired using a mould taken in 1988, the restored owl was officially unveiled again on 12 May 2001, and video cameras have watched the street ever since.
What to look for
- The owl itself: carved low on the buttress, at a height anyone can reach, and polished smooth by countless hands, which makes it stand out from the sharper stone around it.
- The salamander: carved a little higher on the same wall. According to tradition, you should turn your back on it, or at least not look at it, while you make your wish.
- The owl plaques: small plaques showing an owl, set into the pavement. They mark the Owl Trail (Parcours de la Chouette), a signposted walk of about 22 stops through the historic centre.
- The Jacquemart: the clock automaton above the church's west front. Duke Philip the Bold brought it from Kortrijk in Flanders after his campaign of 1382. Jacquemart and his wife Jacqueline strike the hours, and their 'children' Jacquelinet and Jacquelinette strike the half-hours and quarter-hours.
- The false gargoyles: the west front is lined with 51 gargoyles that have never carried rainwater. They were carved in 1880–1882 during a restoration; the real, working gargoyles are on the side walls.
How to make a wish, and an older story
The custom, followed by locals and visitors alike, is to touch the owl with your left hand, the hand on the side of the heart, while you make a wish; some people also put their right hand on their heart. Nobody knows when the habit began. Notre-Dame has an older tale too: according to a medieval story, the facade's first gargoyles were taken down around 1240 after one of them fell and killed a moneylender.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning or in the evening, when you are less likely to wait behind other visitors for your turn at the owl.
- Touch it gently and with your left hand only. The stone is fragile and has already needed one repair.
- Step inside Notre-Dame to see Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir, an 11th- or 12th-century wooden statue of the Virgin, considered one of the oldest in France. Legend credits her with saving Dijon from a Swiss siege in 1513.
- Use the owl as the starting point for the Owl Trail and follow the plaques in the pavement to the Palais des Ducs and the covered market.
Nearby
- Hôtel de Vogüé: a mansion on the same street, built around 1614 for Étienne Bouhier, a member of the Burgundy Parliament, with a colourful glazed-tile roof in the Burgundian style.
- Palais des Ducs and Place de la Libération: the palace of the dukes of Burgundy, now the town hall and the Museum of Fine Arts, with its semicircular square in front, a couple of minutes' walk away.
- Philip the Good Tower: the 15th-century tower of the ducal palace, which you can climb on a guided visit for a view over the old town's roofs.
See Dijon with World City Trail
Our Dijon scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 25 minutes of walking, and takes in sights such as the Porte Guillaume, the Jardin des Cloches, Saint-Bénigne Cathedral and Place François Rude. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Dijon.
Play the Dijon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Dijon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Dijon →
Facts checked in October 2026.