Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay

Vézelay

A masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque art, with its carved tympanum showing Christ in Glory and its richly worked capitals. The historic starting point of one of France's four routes to Compostela, its medieval rise owes much to the repatriation, in 882, of the relics of Mary Magdalene, said to have been under threat from Saracen raids in Provence. A rarely mentioned fact: the hill of Vézelay was said to be an old site of druidic worship before Benedictine monks settled there in the 9th century — a continuity of sacred ground, from Celtic paganism to Christian pilgrimage. Tradition holds that it was the monk Badilon who brought these relics back; put on display in 1037, they made Vézelay a major pilgrimage centre, until their authenticity was challenged in the late 13th century in favour of Saint-Maximin.

Getting there : Free entry

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound