Vezelay
Vézelay is a commune in the department of Yonne in the north-central French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is a defensible hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and its 11th-century Romanesque Basilica of St Magdalene are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Vézelay’s hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. In the 9th century the Benedictines were given land to build a monastery during the reign of Charles the Bald. According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium a monk named Baudillon brought relics (bones) of Mary Magdalene to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume.
In 1058 Pope Stephen IX confirmed the authenticity of the relics, leading to an influx of pilgrims that has continued to this day. Vézelay Abbey was also a major starting point for pilgrims on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important of all medieval pilgrimage centres. This was crucially important in attracting pilgrims and the wealth they brought to the town.
Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade at Vézelay in 1146 with King Louis VII of France present. The crowd was so large that a large platform was erected on a hill outside the city. The full text has not survived, but a contemporary account says that “his voice rang out across the meadow like a celestial organ” When Bernard was finished the crowd enlisted en masse; they supposedly ran out of cloth to make crosses. Bernard is said to have flung off his own robe and began tearing it into strips to make more. Others followed his example and he and his helpers were supposedly still producing crosses as night fell.
In 1189, the Frankish and English factions of the Third Crusade met at Vézelay before officially departing for the Holy Land.
Source : wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWNdgteVv-c
Places Of Interest
Basilica of Sainte Marie Madeleine│Vezelay Abbey
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Basilica of Sainte Marie Madeleine│ Vezelay Abbey 89450 Vézelay, France. Phone : +33 3 86 33 39 50 Basilica of Sainte Marie Madeleine │Vézelay Abbey was a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Vézelay in the Yonne department in northern Burgundy, France. The Benedictine abbey church, now the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene), with its complicated … Continue reading Basilica of Sainte Marie Madeleine│Vezelay Abbey →
Château de Bazoches
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Château de Bazoches Château de Bazoches, 58190 Bazoches, France Phone: +33 3 86 22 10 22 The Château de Bazoches is a château in the Burgundy region of France. It is located at Bazoches, 84km from Autun in Burgundy.The mediaeval château] has a trapezoidal layout, four towers and a keep surrounding an inner courtyard. The … Continue reading Château de Bazoches →
La Maison du Visiteur │The House Visitor
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La Maison du Visiteur │The House Visitor Place Adolphe Guillon, 89450 Vézelay, France Phone : +33 3 86 32 35 65 This photo of La Maison du Visiteur is courtesy of TripAdvisor When you visit Vezelay be sure to visit the La Maison du Visiteur before you visit the Basilica. The Maison du visitor pierces … Continue reading La Maison du Visiteur │The House Visitor →
Notre Dame Church In Saint Pere
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Notre Dame Church In Saint Pere Rue Abbot Pissier 89450 Saint-Pere- Sous-Vezelay Website: http://www.saint-pere.fr Telephone: 03 86 33 26 62 (Town Hall) Telephone: 03 86 33 37 31 (Museum) A true gem of Burgundian Gothic art, the Church of Saint-Père deserves the greatest attention. Built from the 13th to the 15th century. and dedicated to … Continue reading Notre Dame Church In Saint Pere →
Zervos Museum – Romain-Rolland House
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Zervos Museum – Romain-Rolland House 14 rue Saint-Étienne 89450 Vézelay. Phone: +33 3 86 32 39 26 This photo of Musee Zervos is courtesy of TripAdvisor The Zervos Museum is housed in an old house where the writer Romain Rolland lived from 1938 and where he died in 1944. The museum, opened in 2006, houses … Continue reading Zervos Museum – Romain-Rolland House →