May 26, 2022
In Vézelay
As I said, this was our second time visiting Vézelay; but really, it might as well have been the first. In 1993 we arrived late in the day in the rain, borrowed umbrellas to dash to a restaurant, and biked off the next morning. We saw the abbey, the feature Vézelay is world famous for, only as a distant silhouette on the skyline.
You are likely already familiar with Vézelay Abbey, and some of you will have seen it yourself. If not though or if you need a refresher, the description from the UNESCO world heritage site designation is worth reading. Here’s the thumbnail description, for those without the time to read the whole thing:
Shortly after its foundation in the 9th century, the Benedictine abbey of Vézelay acquired the relics of St Mary Magdalene and since then it has been an important place of pilgrimage. St Bernard preached the Second Crusade there in 1146 and Richard the Lion-Hearted and Philip II Augustus met there to leave for the Third Crusade in 1190. With its sculpted capitals and portal, the Madeleine of Vézelay – a 12th-century monastic church – is a masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture.
And, here’s my contribution to the billions of photos that must exist of this site, to remind us of why we might want to make it back up to the Eternal Hill for another look some year (we probably shouldn’t wait 29 years again though). The video, btw, is taken from behind the abbey on the magnificent viewpoint overlooking the Cure Valley and the Morvan. The views are stunning, but I took the video to remember the peal of the bells that must have gone on for ten minutes. It’s Ascension Day, and I wondered if the extended ringing was in honor of this.
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