Given the car rental offices in Auxerre are not open on the weekend, and Suzanne didn’t need to be at the airport until mid-day Sunday, we found ourselves in Auxerre on Saturday with a rare luxury – a car!
We decided a short road trip was in order, and headed to the old hilltop village of Vezelay, home to the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene).
Originally the site of a Roman villa, and after other efforts to be established as an abbey, the abbey was refounded in the 9thcentury. Around 1050, the monks began to claim they held relics of Mary Magdalene which, over time, led to Vézelay becoming an important pilgrimage site. It remains today one of the four locations for those setting out on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
It served as a gathering point for knights leaving on the Second and Third Crusades, and the Abbey rose to be one of the strongest and most well connected in France. That influence began to decline in 1279 with the discovery of the body of Mary Magdaline at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in Provence.
The church slowly fell towards ruin, with a number of the abbey buildings being demolished so the stone might be reused elsewhere.
A massive and successful restoration was undertaken in several stages between 1840 and 1861, with a large amount of the original structure remaining intact and unchanged.
(a refresher on the history courtesy of Wikipedia)
Today, this is a walled town, sitting high above the French countryside. It continues to draw both tourists and pilgrims. The Basilica sits on the
highest point, with the cobbled streets winding up the hill through the village of stone buildings. The abbey continues to be active, with both monks and nuns participating in the religious services.
We arrived close to noon, and wandered through the gate up into the village, ultimately finding a place for lunch.
Then it was on to the Basilica, a huge and remarkable church with many original and intricate carvings and stonework. Outside the church, the
battlements provide a vantage point from which to look out over the hills,
valleys, vineyards and fields below.
Every time Suzanne and I visit one of these massive, historic churches, we marvel at the architecture and decorations, of course. We are more struck, however, by the sense of reverence and peace these places convey, only made more remarkable on those occasions when organ music reverberates with the surrounding stone walls.
It was a beautiful day, and a unique way to spend Suzanne’s last day before she left for the airport and home.