On the way back from our recent holiday in the UK, we stopped off at Vézelay, a Romanesque abbey in the Burgundy region of central France. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Romanesque Architecture. It is an UNESCO site.
Vézelay, is now a sleepy little hilltop village. The Abbey dates from the Twelfth Century and was an important pilgrimage destination in its early days. Thomas Becket, in exile, chose Vézelay for his sermon in 1166, announcing the excommunication of the main supporters of King, Henry II, and threatening the King with excommunication too.
Its importance started to decline in the Thirteenth Century, and it was badly damaged during the French Revolution. The important relics said to have been removed from Mary Madeleine's tomb, were burnt by the Huguenots, in the Sixteenth century.
After the Revolution, Vézelay was in danger of collapsing. The young architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was appointed to supervise a massive and successful restoration, undertaken in several stages between 1840 and 1861, during which his team replaced a great deal of the weathered and vandalized sculpture. The flying buttresses that support the nave are his. The front façade, is mostly a reinvention carried out by the Architect.
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
The inner central Portal is the most important artwork in this building. It is an allegorical depiction of the Crusades. The tympanum was completed in 1130.
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
Fifteen years after its completion, Bernard of Clairvaux chose Vézelay to call for a Second Crusade. Vézelay was even the staging point for the Third Crusade. It is here that King Richard the Lionheart of England and King Philip Augustus of France met and joined their armies for a combined western invasion of the holy land. It is appropriate, therefore, that Vézelay's portal refers to the crusades.
The lintol depicts the inhabitants of those lands beyond Christendom. They are depicted as being sub human, with some having pig like snouts for example.
On our visit the inner doors were closed, which robbed us of the vision of the Nave behind it.
The column capitals are superb, some have been restored. There are 100 column capitals in the Nave.
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
We were lucky that the Church was almost deserted on our early morning visit. We were able to soak up the majestic atmosphere of this monument, in silence.
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
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| Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine,Vézelay |
This little village and its abbey are well worth a visit, if you care for historic monuments. We visited late in the evening for a brief look, and the next morning for a slower visit. Both times there was nobody about. ( I believe it gets more busy later in the day).No entry mouth watering entry charge like we found in Ely Cathedral. No hectoring guardians, souvenir stall and none of the other trappings of todays tourism.
I was able to use my camera on a tripod with my shift lenses, to explore the visual splendour of this abbey.
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