What to see in Vezelay, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Basilica, with the Relics of Mary Magdalene, walls and Cordelle.
Tourist information
The medieval village of Vézelay is geographically located right at the beginning of the Via Lemovicense in the Burgundy region, one of the 4 roads in France included in the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a place and pilgrimage site in Spain.
The relics of Mary Magdalene are kept in the Basilica of Vezelay.
It is a Romanesque Benedictine monastery dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena and founded on the ground where a Roman villa once stood.
From the year 1050 onwards, the monks of Vézelay keep the relics of Mary Magdalene, which their founding monk San Badilio had brought with him on his return from the Holy Land.
Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus whose name Magdalene derives from Magdala, a town located on the west bank of Lake Tiberias which, formed by the Jordan River at the junction point between the territories of Israel and the Golan Heights, is also known as Sea of Galilee and for being a very fishy freshwater lake.
Lake Tiberias is known throughout the Christian world for having also been the theater of the preaching of Jesus who crossed it several times by boat with his disciples.
Mary of Magdala was present at the crucifixion of Jesus, remaining until her death and until the transport of her body to the sepulcher, moreover, when with other women she had gone to the sepulcher to anoint the body of Jesus according to the customs of the time, finding the stone that closed the overturned tomb had the vision of angels carrying the announcement of the resurrection of Jesus.
What see
The Basilica of Vézelay later became a destination for more and more frequent pilgrimages of faithful who with their donations allowed its expansion over the centuries to reach its current appearance.
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maddalena represents a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, with an interior with three naves in Romanesque-Gothic style and two bell towers, of which the left one has remained unfinished.
The bas-relief in the lunette above the main portal, depicting the universal judgment, is remarkable.
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The walls, largely intact, include seven Bernardo towers.
La Cordelle is the Franciscan monastery with a beautiful Gothic-style chapel.
