Vézelay Favorites

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Favorite thing: This is the main attraction of Vezelay. They were created between 1120-40, less than 50 years after the revival of similar sculpting in Moissac and Toulouse (see our Tips). Thses were the second generation of artists and they have increased mastery of their craft. The figures are not stiff and there is action and insight. It is thought that there were as many as 5 masters and assistants; one may have even been Gislebertus of Autun. There was continuing work at Cluny as well, since that Order was the sponsor of this work. The Cluniacs believed strongly in the enhancing power of art in religious indoctrination. Vezelay was the staging point for one of the sets of pilgrimages (tourists; tour groups) and the opportunity for education besides the display of relics were the justification for such a large and lavish structure. Things related to Jesus are displayed on the tympani and surrounds of the church and narthex on the West. The capitals display Old Testament, Saints lives and symbolic (some meanings are unknown) decoration. There are more than 70 of them.

Fondest memory: These creations of man are of greater impact than the splendid vistas outside or the majesty of the long aisles of the church.

Favorite thing: This village (17 km from Avallon) is famous by two bridges (les deux ponts): big one (Grand Pont, finished in 1874, appr.25 m higher than the small one) and small one (old pedestrian arch bridge completed in 1770) and allows to admire the view of Cure river and rocks.

Favorite thing: Facing the hill of Vézelay, the feudal château of Bazoches, built in the 12th C., has four towers and a keep around an interior courtyard.
Acquired in 1675 by Marshall Vauban, thanks to a bonus from King Louis XIV, Vauban carried out restoration work and transformed the castle into a military garnison.
The castle is still fully furnished and opened for the visitors.

Favorite thing: "Le Dent Creuse" is one of the most famous restaurants in Vezelay. You can try all the specialities of Burgundy in this restaurant.

http://www.vezelaytour.net/dentcreuse/Anglais/framemenuanglais.html

Favorite thing: Behind the church of Sainte Madelaine there is a big area where everyone can enjoy the view of nearby villages, forests. It's my favourite place in Vezelay.
On the picture there is a view of Saint Père village. This place is also worth to be visited. The diversity of its landscapes, the wealth of its history certified by monuments, famous vineyards.

Fondest memory: You have to see in St.Pere:
* L'église Notre Dame. This is a true jewel of Burgundian gothic art.
* Les Fontaines Salées. Important archeological site of Gallo-Roman epoch.
* L'Esperance. Famous restaurant and hotel of chef Marc Meneau. It's a legend and "arguably the best dining experience in Burgundy". Marc and Francoise Meneau have welcomed The Queen Mother, the Nixons, Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst of Hanover, Presidents Giscard d'Estaing, Mitterand and Chirac!
http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com
* Cave Henry de Vézelay. Famous Burgundy wine.
http://www.henrydevezelay.com/

Favorite thing: The large clear windows fill the church with an extraordinary luminosity gathering in intensity as it moves to the east - from the dimly-lit narthex to the nave with its twin-coloured flying buttresses and then the gloriously illuminated choir, rebuilt in the Gothic style shortly after 1200. The clarity of light shows off to advantage the basilica’s extraordinary legacy of sculptures.

Favorite thing: On a pilgrims day in 1120, a fire begins and more than a thousand people are buried in the ashes. In 1146 Saint Bernard preaches the secon Crusade before king Charles VII

In 1150 the rebulding is accomplished but without the narthex. The French revolution destroys much of the buldings, but is restored by Viollet the Duke in 1840 to 1856.

The rebuilt church is what we see today, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture and part of UNESCO World Heritage.

Favorite thing: During the batttle between the King of France and Girart duke of Burgundy near Saint Père, the story says that flames came out of the sky and the earth trembled. Even the most brave soilders were afraid. The wrriors layed down weapons and prayed. So it is that the land became sacred and the long history of Vezelay began.

A convent was built under the orders of Girart, but was destroyed by the Normans, it was replaced by a monastary and consecrated by the Pope in 878. Two hundred years later the monks of Cluny arrived and build a church, where the relics of Saint Mary Madelaine are deposed.