Whoever wishes to take in the full sweep of Dijon’s historical centre should climb to the top of the Tour Philippe le Bon. It was built by the third of the four "Great Dukes of the Occident" who reigned over the Burgundian States for more than a century from 1364 to 1477: Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. The former Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy is the veritable heart of the ducal capital which is now also the capital of an administrative region. It houses, along with the Town Hall, the Fine Arts Museum (Musée des Beaux Arts), one of the great museums of Europe. The museum’s reputation is based not only on the uncontested wealth of its collections but above all on its possession of masterworks of mediaeval paintings and sculpture, particularly the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy. Around the palace stretches the historical centre which is entirely preserved as a protected sector. It offers the visitor the charm of its squares and small streets for a stroll past half-timbered houses and elegant mansions, beneath the shadow of its church spires. Notre-Dame, the Gothic parish church dating from the 13th century is a veritable work of art in stone with its unique facade where rows of gargoyles alternate with slender columns topped by the Jacquemart Clock which has struck the hours of the day for the townspeople since 1383. The serenity of the historic buildings is contrasted by the bustling market which is held three times a week in and around the 19th century market halls. The cathedral of Saint-Benigne is the former abbey of a monastery which was an imposing centre of the Cluniac reform movement. The crypt which contains fascinating sculptures dates from that time - around the year 1000. No less fascinating are the treasures housed in the nearby Archaeological Museum, situated in the old monks’ quarters. The most spectacular works to be seen here are without doubt the ex-voto offerings from the sources of the river Seine, exposed under the Romanesque vaults of the lower room, but the large Gothic room is also compelling for its luminous architecture as well as the mediaeval sculptures to be found there. Very near the cathedral are the old deconsecrated churches of Saint-Philibert and Saint-Jean. The former is Romanesque, the latter Gothic and has been turned into a theatre. These churches form the heart of a quarter dotted with narrow streets and small old houses, formerly inhabited by wine growers. An old Bernardine convent is now home to two museums. The Perrin de Puycousin Museum of Burgundian Life (Musee de la Vie Bourguignonne), with its reconstituted shop and house interiors, reconstructs the daily life of past generations of Dijonnais and Burgundians, while the Museum of Sacred Art (Musée d’Art Sacrée) is housed in the former chapel. To the east of the city centre numerous town houses and mansions, most of which were built in the 16C and 17C, align their sober facades near the church of Saint-Michel, a striking example of the evolution of the Renaissance style. But Dijon is also a green city boasting squares and numerous parks and gardens as well as the Port on the Burgundy Canal whence tour boats leave for cruises to the surrounding countryside.