Vézelay Abbey

About

The Basilica Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay is a 12th-century French abbey located in Vézelay, Yonne department, Burgundy-Franche-Comté. High place of Christianity in the Middle Ages, Vézelay is an important pilgrimage place on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Built between 1120 and 1140, the building is a major illustration of Romanesque architecture and Romanesque art in general, including the inner tympanum of the narthex that represents a Christ in glory.

Reconstructed at the end of the 12th century, the choir presented a Gothic style that increased the brightness and helped reinforce the symbolism around the theme of divine light. By moving from the narthex to the nave and then to the choir, the visitor progresses from a dark space to an increasingly bright space. Each year at the summer solstice, the southern stained glass windows project a line of luminous points in the middle of the nave.

Renovated by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from 1840 onwards, the basilica was classified and placed on the first list of historical monuments, that of 1840. In 1979, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1993, the liturgical service...