Vézelay is a common French, located in the department of the Yonne and the area Burgundy: to 15 km of Avallon and 45 km of Auxerre. The small town is a chief town of canton of the district of Avallon

Geography

  • situation : The city is located on a high hill. This one was worth in Vézelay in 1793 the name of Vézelay-the-Mountain. The reason in is simple: only the west coast is easily accessible, the southern, northern slopes and is being more abrupt. The main street follows the watershed of this hill and makes it possible to join the abbey church located on the culminating point. Vézelay is close to the Cure, on its left bank.

Vézelay is distant of 15 km Avallon and 45 km Auxerre.

  • geology : " The mountain on which Vézelay is built belongs, very whole with various bases from Large-Oolite. Towards the base, side of the Holy Father, still show some of the layers of the Lias and above limestones the lower Oolite aec radiated remains of pentacrinites and of Cidaris Courtaudina , but this unit is promptly covered by oolitic limestones subschistoîdes, more or less marly of large the oolite which the Pholadomyes characterize, the Panopée S, the Mytilus, the Ammonites. Opposed side, while descending the road from Vézelay with Clamecy, the succession of the oolitic layers is apparent still. In a lower position with limestones compact and resistant, which constitute the top of the mountain, one sees developing argillaceous limestones very rich in Pholadomyes and which contain abundantly the Pholadomya Vezelayi . With the foot of the mountain, old careers, now given up, were exploited in the lower part of this base. The layers are more compact, less marly; the pholadomyes do not appear yet; the fossils, rather rare, are limited to some Ammonites, Pine S and moules."

The toponymy of wood surrounding reveals a basement rich in iron ore: wood of the Tool bags , wood of the Furnace

  • hydrography : The rainwater was " carefully collected in three large public cisterns, two tanks eun great number of cisterns particulières" .les the largest constructions is within the abbey, with the height of the old courtyard of the cloister; one of them is 16,85 m length, 6,30m of width and 3,60m of depth. Square stone pillars support groined vaults out of hardcores. It collects rain water of the roofs punts of the church and formerly of all the buildings of the monastery.

  • hamlets : depend on Vézelay: the Wood-of-the-Madeleine, Sell off Them, theHigh ones, the Pond-Nine (or Thatch-White), the Chute, the Large-Garden, Grenéterie, Justice, Longueroie, Maladrerie, Maupas, Sorted, the Valley-Pear tree, Vaufron, Versausse.

History

The city of Vézelay owes its origin with a Benedictine abbey having sheltered the relics of holy Marie-madeleine.

  • v. 858: Foundation of a monastery of Moniales by Girart of Roussillon, with the current site of the Holy Father. He has a villa, surrounded by great fields. The fining in which the dwellings are door the name of Vezeliacus which will become Vizeliac then Vézelay.

  • 873 : Plundered by the Normand S which go up the Seine, the Yonne and the Cure, the abbey is transferred on the hill; monks Benedictines replace the moniales. The position of the monastery attracted many families in order to benefit from protection from the walls from the new establishment. This one is dedicated to the Virgin and to the apostles Saint Pierre and Saint Paul. Its statute is rather particular: " with the help of the yearly rental of a money book, which it paid with the the Holy See, it was authorized not to recognize neither chief of order, neither bishop diocesan, neither prince, nor unspecified lord. She forms a species of republic Théocratique, detached initially from monarchy Carolingien, then from the French Féodalité, and not preserving, neither with one nor with the other, no bond, no report/ratio of subordination" Eudes, first abbot, is mentioned in 897

  • Certains authors affirms that in 882 the monk Badilon would have brought Saint-Maximin-the-Holy-Balsam to Vézelay of the relics of Marie-madeleine. On the other hand, Eudes , first abbot, is mentioned in 897

  • In 1034 the Geoffroy abbot reforms the abbey and convinces its contemporaries whom the abbey has the remainders of Marie-madeleine: from where pilgrimages, therefore offerings and donations. This naturally benefitted the inhabitants and the village became small a ville." From there, on their premises, a spirit of independence that the monastic despotism irritated, and which soon appeared by bloody revolts, fights opiniâtres". It will be necessary to await a pontifical Bulle so that Madeleine becomes officially the owner of the abbey (1050). Such a prosperity attracted Cluny: this one subjected Vézelay and the abbot clunisien Artaud imposed to him.

  • 1096 : Travel of Urbain II where he preaches the First crusade and decision of construction of the abbey one, which will be Consacré E in 1104. The tax established to carry out this company, had exasperated the inhabitants who revolted: the Artaud abbot was assassinated in 1106. Afterwards many vicissitudes (revolts, seigneuriaux conflicts, fire of 1120), the Narthex or church of the penitent Pilgrims was built (dedicated in 1132) In 1137 the abbot Albéric signed with the inhabitants a charter which defined the rights of the abbey and the middle-class men: act of wisdom which was rented in eulogistic terms by Saint Bernard

  • In 1146 the reputation of Vézelay is such as Bernard de Clairvaux preaches the there Second crusade: the place of the sermon will be transformed into commemorative church: there remain some remains known under the name of about it Cordelle . The abbot Ponce of Montbossier temporarily restores the abbey in his old privileges of independence. ( pal, potestas Vezeliacensis ). The abbots receive from the Vatican of enormous prerogatives, like the right to carry the Miter, the Crosse, the ring and the sandals. After the revolt of 1167, the inhabitants obtain monks a written charter which guarantees to them enviable freedoms in the area ( libertas Vezeliacensis )

  • 1190 : Philippe Auguste and Richard Lion-hearted gives itself to it appointment for the Third crusade .le chorus of the Romance church is rebuilt in vaster. The Hugues abbot, corrupted man, waste the richness of the abbey and will be relieved in 1207. The decline of the abbey starts, coinciding in that with the decline of the monastic orders and that of the Benedictines in particular.

  • Si towards 1215 the abbey one is completed, the conflicts with the counts of Nevers begin again. The various popes and the kings of France will not be able anything to protect the religious community. The protection of the relics of the Madeleine seems not very effective, and the pilgrims are diverted this city agitated per so many conflicts (rising of 1250). The pope Clement IV lance an investigation to include/understand the reasons of such a forfeiture and orders a solemn checking of the relics of Madeleine.Le king Saint Louis joined the ceremony (April 24th 1267). But in 1279 the pope proclaims that the found body with Saint-Maximin is the body of the Madeleine. The belief crumbles and prosperity also: moreover, the contribution festival of Vézelay changes date and is celebrated the day of the Quasimodo . In 1280 an ordinance signed of Philippe-the-Bold proclaims the more or less complete fastening of Vézelay to the royal field. The pope Martin IV approves the decree. The ordinance of 1312 of Philippe Beautiful the confirms that city and abbey are an ordinary dependence of the royal field. The inhabitants understood that this authority enabled them to contain abbey omnipotence and to escape brutalities from feudal lords. Vézelay enters the restricted circle of the good cities of the kingdom (there was not whereas 16)

  • During the disturbed time of the Guerre One hundred Year old let us notice the abbot Hugues of House-Count , adviser of Charles V for his equity in its relationship with the inhabitants of Vézelay, (1353-1383), and the abbot Alexandre, adviser of Philippe III the Good for his diplomatic role. It exhorts Vézeliens to leave the anglo-Burgundian league, contributes to the bringing together between Philippe-the-Good and Charles VII and calls the meeting of the Concile of Basle in 1431. It finally takes part in the development of the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges in 1438.

  • Louis XI does not tolerate that the abbots are more or less related to the duke of Burgundy, Charles Bold the. In order to make sure of a fortified town it forces by the force one of its courtiers Pierre de Balzac .

  • In 1538, a bubble grants what the monks ask for a long time: namely secularization. The abbey becomes simple collegial, a chapter of canons replaces the monks Benedictines and especially the field is put between the hands of Abbés commendataires. François Ier in vain tries to obtain that Vézelay becomes one évêché.

  • the bubble of 1541 will be recorded by the Parlement of Paris only in 1653. It leaves in the chapter only insufficient incomes and supports the abbots commendataires.

  • At the time of the wars of religion it passes to the liking of its abbots, of fortified town of the Réformés to citadel of the Ligue. The influence of Theodore de Bèze, the abbey in full decline, do of Vézelay one of the first cities of the area acquired with Protestantism. With the treaty of Saint-Germain (1570) Vézelay is one of the two cities of the government of Champagne to authorize the Protestants to exert their worship freely. In 1594 Joachim of Rochefort-Pluvault, which controls the city in the name of the League, gives up his/her friends and delivers the place to Henri IV. Its Erard successor of Rochefort ingénie to be repaired the church of the Madeleine and her dependences, in particular the low vault: it makes equitable concessions with the population. But the calamities fall down again on the area with the nomination of Louis Fouquet brother of the Surintendant: they are interminable lawsuits, the abandonment of the privilege to escape the jurisdiction from ordinary and finally persecutions from the Protestants and this good before the revocation from the Edit from Nantes. Vauban in its Statistique of the Election of Vézelay shows us at which point misery and ruins the country is confronted.

  • It is under the Berthier abbot that the episcopal palate is destroyed: the gallant abbot finds it too sad and a construction more with the taste of the time (1752-1769) prefers to him. The day before the Revolution, Vézelay lost its municipal privileges, sees its population decreasing and is nothing any more but one humble borough.

  • the " September 6th 1790, the members of the Directory of Avallon, acting under the terms of the laws voted by the Constituent Assembly, and pursuant to the special decrees of the Directory of the department, meant with the canons that from now on the madeleine had ceased exister"

  • 1840 : Restoration of the basilica by Purple-the-Duke

Administration

Demography

Economy

  • tourism generated by the attraction of the basilica and the departure of one of the ways of Compostelle.
  • the Vineyard of Vézelay which produces light and white red wines.

Tourist monuments and places

Civil and military buildings

  • the wall of enclosure was built with the whole beginning of the XII° century. She marries the shape of the hill. Wars the one hundred Year old then those of religion were right of the beautiful unit.

The five turns which remain are XIV° century, and one can notice that the walls do not have good foundations. " The pleasing examination of the walls to think that a simple covered way bordered of a parapet was enough with defense to the walls which, on the side of the city, supported a considerable ground mass. One thus should not seek in the old wall of enclosure of Vézelay crenels, Machicoulis, Merlon S, archières, etc, which crown in a so picturesque way the fortifications of the Middle Ages. A middle-class man, Etienne Anscelin, called Borbolin, undertook to direct work: the walls were disengaged from the houses of the suburb and several turns were high with the angles of the wall of enclosure. The door of Asquins was rebuilt and took the name of Carry-New . The majority of the turns lost their crowning of crenels.

The door Holy-Cross seems to date from XII°siècle: the vault which threatened to crumble was demolished in 1814. It gave access in the enclosure of the abbey. The wall which prolongs it is remarkable by the beauty of its construction. It was bordered by a named esplanade the Mangoneau or Ridge-of-Mill-with-Wind in remembering the mill of the abbey.

After the high wall which forms celebrates it terrace of Vézelay is old a Guichet: one reached the Poterne by a sliding scale and inside a spiral staircase gave access the terrace of the counter protected by crenels. Lamuraille continues then to the door Saint-Etienne (old door of Barle). The latter, in 1569, was octagonal

The wall has an extent of approximately 1,9 km, it is thick on average of 2 ten meters meters and high.

  • the houses which border the main street paved in 1775, have particular cellars: the entry is on the pavement and several of them on two floors, it be-with say-are superimposed.

  • the house of the Colonists (not far from a cistern built in 1742) dating from the XVI° century. one sees a tower strengthened above a beautiful arched room

  • the small place of the Large-Well: not having never had water, this hole of 15 feet broad was filled at the time of the construction of the Hotel-of-City in 1774

  • the house Bicêtre , having belonged to the Borot family, has two decorated and carved chimneys going back to Louis XIII.

Religious buildings

The hill and the Abbaye of Vézelay are classified in the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO (1979). Located on the road of Saint-Jacques-with-Compostelle, the pilgrims still spend March there to October.

Vézelay had three churches formerly:

  • the basilica Holy-Marie-Madeleine ,

    See also: Abbey of Vézelay

, the Contrefort S were levelled with naked of the wall, of new borings were carried out, etc), it presents still today still an open porch arched in typical cradle full-clotheshanger of the Romanesque architecture.
L' old Saint-Etienne church is registered with the additional inventory of the historic buildings since 1960.

  • old the church Saint-Pierre , located Borot place, is founded in 1152. Its history is documented little: it is known that the vault crumbles the February 26th 1587 and that the large bell (fondue in 1633 of the clock is placed in the tower in 1688. In the Year II, the church is destroyed, except for the tower of the clock (preserved due to public utility). The Clocher seems to date from the 17th century, it carries an inscription according to which it was restored in 1859. The site of the Saint-Pierre church remained not built, it is marked by a wall sideboard, it is currently called " place Borot". At the end of the 19th century six limes are planted around the Borot place. There was some discussion during the 19th century about building a market hall there, however the Borot place is used as carpark.

  • Cordelle : located on the northern side of the Hill (on the left of the Basilica when one looks at the frontage of it), with semi-slope in direction of the village of Asquins, the vault Holy-Cross named today " Cordelle" , was built in the year which followed the preaching of the second crusade in 1146 per Bernard saint. The first franciscains from Italy, in 1217, built a convent there. " The church indicated under the name of vault Saint-Hackney carriage, still remains; it presents, in plan, an about square form of 7 meters 50 of width. The vault is in ogival cradle and is pressed on walls decorated with blind arcades full-clotheshanger resting on elegant columns. The profile of the mouldings is of a very great purity and skill of execution. A small apsidal chapel is walled; its vault is battered… "

Museums

  • the House of the Visitor, places Guillon, to see external bond

  • Museum of Work Purple-the-Duke, located beside the basilica. Old dormitory of the monks, places of Cloître.Présentation of the building site of restoration of the basilica.

  • In the house that Romain Roland occupied of 1937 in December 1944, the Zervos museum presents the collection of works of art consisted Christian Zervos , editor of the Cahiers of art of 1926 to 1960. His Yvonne wife held an art gallery with 14 rue du Dragon in Paris.

  • house Jules Roy, the Field of the Convent: last residence of the writer, bought by the General advice of Yonne, it is a house of writers, a place of culture and memory

  • hollow of the Pilgrim: descent in the secrecy of many medieval cellars, supported on the ramparts, 32 rue saint-Etienne.

  • museum of Pierre Written with the hamlet of the Chute; collection of geology, mineralogy and paleontology

Famous characters

Blasonnement

“mouths with three flowers of gold lily, with the bent chief of sown azure of flowers of lily, charged with a Romance mounting of money built of sand”.

Photograph gallery

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