Vézelay Benedectine Abbey - France Best Places - Travel & Discover

Vézelay is a quintessential Burgundian medieval village whose basilica reigns supreme. This charming village has an imposing position built along the crest of a hill with panoramic views over the Mont de Morvins. The village stands on the edge of the Morvins Regional Park. The Basilica of Saint Madeleine is visible from many kilometers away and even when low clouds cover the valley the church appears regally out of the mist. The Basilica in Vézelay is the heart of this picturesque medieval town and certainly one of Burgundy's most important treasures. It became famous historically as the starting point for the Crusades and remains an important pilgrimage site. The Romanesque architecture of Burgundy's abbeys and churches is considered among the finest in the world. The beauty of the basilica's western facade, a combination of Romanesque, Gothic and 19th century architectural styles, pales compared to the treasures it houses in its interior. The facade's upper register dates to the 13th century. In the upper level of the facade stand statues of Saint John the Evangelist, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Much of the decoration was heavily restored in 1840 by renowned architect and restorer who also added a Romanesque style tympanum of the Last Judgment to the central portal. The figures displayed in the tympanum at Vézelay are elongated and angular, set in agitated poses. The patterns of their drapery are linear with zigzags, loops and whorls. In churches constructed during the Romanesque period the tympanum, a semi-circular area above the doorway or entrance to the sacred space, was used as a site to display monumental sculpture. The monastery was founded by the Burgundian chief Girard de Rousillon in the 9th century and dedicated to Mary Magdalene, whom popular belief held was buried there. The many miracles that occurred at her tomb attracted so many visitors to the church that it had to be enlarged. A fire destroyed the building in 1120 but rebuilding commenced immediately and the church's nave was soon completed. In 1150 the narthex was added and in 1215 the Romanesque Gothic choir and transept were finished. The church gained additional fame for its role in the crusades. It was the site where Saint Bernard of Clairvaux preached the second crusade in 1146 and where King Philippe of France and King Richard the Lionhearted of England met to depart on the third crusade in 1190. The church's real beauty is in its interior. Upon entering through the great west door one is struck by the penumbra that reigns within the Romanesque narthex. Though significantly smaller in size the side portals flanking the central doorway also contain unique images. The tympanum above the door to the north contains images of the Christ child. The great central tympanum depicts the mission of the apostles or the preaching of the good news that Christ commanded at Pentecost. In the center is a large figure of Christ seated within a mandala. A sculpture of Saint John the Baptist embellishes the upper portion of the trumeau, the decorative element dividing the church's doors. The relief sculptures adorning the tympanums above the church's three doors are widely considered masterpieces. The nave constructed between 1120 and 1132 constitutes one of the oldest parts of the church. Its design is exceptionally attractive allowing more light to enter the church's interior than in most Romanesque basilicas. The measurements of the church were carefully chosen to create a spectacular effect in the At midday on the summer solstice nine pools of sunlight fall upon the exact center of the nave while at midday on the winter solstice the pools of light fall upon the upper capitals of the north arcade. Veselae constituted an important stop along the pilgrimage route from regions to the north such as Belgium, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardennes, and Burgundy. The relics of Mary Magdalene attracted many pilgrims from the middle of the 11th century and made the city a gathering place before undertaking the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Mary Magdalene is the prototype of the penitent and Veselae has remained an important place of pilgrimage for the Catholic faithful. The proportions of the basilica's side aisles were designed as corridors of circulation in order to encourage visitors to make a slow and contemplative promenade through the church. Pillars and colonnades rise from the floor to support the romanesque vaults of the ceiling over the nave. The splendid capitals in the nave were probably sculpted by artists from the nearby monastery of Cluny. They depict bible stories, ancient legends, and mythological creatures often nestled within delicately carved foliage. The capitals bloom with a variety of exotic or local flora serving as a kind of foundation element designed to heighten the symbolic significance of the sculpture worked in relief upon the capitals. The basilica is the archetype of later cathedral plans, the most famous of which is the early Saint Peter's in Rome. A basilica consists of a nave bordered along its sides by aisles with the clerestory, apse, and choir. The choir symbolizes heaven where the risen Christ reigns in glory having conquered death. The gothic choir was rebuilt at the end of the 12th century. The ambulatory, a continuous aisle which wraps around the circular structure or apse, is designed for use in processions. The 144 colonnades adorning the main pillars symbolize the 144,000 elect of the apocalypse. The arcades in the gallery above the choir may symbolize the 12 apostles. The ambulatory has radiating chapels. Much has been written about the symbolic meaning of the number of columns, arcades, and vaulting ribs used in the church. The open light-filled ambulatory of Vézelay's Basilica offers a refreshing departure from the dark ambulatory spaces of many French pilgrimage cathedrals. The absence of stained glass contributes to this effect as does the absence of a screen on the inner side of the ambulatory. The Basilica's Carolingian crypt contains reliquaries holding a few small relics of Saint Mary Magdalene. These are not the original relics that brought thousands of medieval pilgrims to Vézelay, burned by French Calvinists during the 16th century wars of religion. The present relics were a gift from the Archbishop of Seine in 1876. Outside, the church combines the Gothic and Romanesque styles. It has one tower. Its second tower was never completed. The cloister is near the tower. The Basilica perfectly illustrates the austere principles of the Middle Ages with its ascetic architecture, cloister, and gardens. The cloister gives access to the chapter house with its splendid ogival vaulting. The corridor is called the Cloister, though was an invention of the late 19th century restorer Viollet-le-Duc, and not part of the long-gone monastic cloister structure on the south side of the church. This part of the right transept has the chapter room on the left with its six ogival vaults and cloister on the right. Rooms above the Cloister of the Abbey now house various medieval sculptures from the Basilica and surrounding area. Vézelay is justly listed among the most beautiful villages of France, as well as being classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. From the terrace on the south side of the Basilica, a beautiful view extends over the hills of the Morvan, with Vézelay's vineyards and the Spire of Saint-Père in the foreground. The medieval town, with its houses dating from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, gates and ramparts, has been well preserved. Jules Roy's house, with its beautiful garden, is situated in the upper part of the town next to the Basilica. Overlooked by the Basilica, the writer's study is preserved just as he left it when he died in June 2000. The real atmosphere, full of memories of the place he wrote his last books, has been preserved there. The house's terraced gardens provide a setting of rare serenity. Writers and artists have contributed to the cultural significance of Vézelay over the past century, and this is reflected in the town's many museums and galleries. Walking along Vézelay's steep main street, one comes across a 12th-century hostel-hospital, once used by the many pilgrims who stopped here, now renovated into a small hotel with four bedrooms and a large vaulted central room, which serves as a cafe gallery. Vézelay may be rooted in religion and history, but today the village has a vibrant modern life of its own, its main street positively throbbing with activity in the summer months. A few narrow winding streets lead off the main street, hemmed in by ancient houses featuring various examples of the local architecture. Romanesque houses stand side by side with Renaissance dwellings and 17th and 18th century buildings. Many of Vézelay's Romanesque style houses were built with big deep cellars, originally used to lodge the many pilgrims who passed through the town every year, and who in turn led to the town's prosperity. Those who wander through the village with an inquiring eye, taking the trouble to uncover each detail, will delight in how each stone, each ray of light, was carefully planned to create this so-called eternal hill. The medieval town has preserved its ramparts, gates, narrow streets, and battlements. The well-preserved Porte-Neuve consists of two massive towers flanking a gateway. A marketplace selling local goods permits visitors to taste and buy local wines and honey, or colorful pottery and ceramics made by craftsmen from the area. Many of the Romanesque style houses have been transformed into thriving small shops where local and regional specialties and crafts are sold. The lovely town of Vézelay conveys a sense of simplicity and peaceful tranquility. Any visitor to Burgundy will no doubt feel moved by its gorgeous scenery and atmosphere of rural serenity. In 1979 UNESCO declared the site of Vézelay a World Heritage Site.