Vézelay, Church and Hill

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Vézelay, Church and Hill: A Masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque Art and Architecture

The Vézelay, Church and Hill, located in the small town of Vézelay in the Yonne department of eastern central France, is a remarkable example of Romanesque art and architecture that has stood the test of time for over nine centuries. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, this historic site boasts a rich history, significant cultural importance, and exceptional architectural beauty.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

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.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (i): The church of St Mary Magdalene of Vézelay is a masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque art. The central nave (1120-1140), effectively punctuated by its two-tone arch ribs, is adorned with a series of capitals unique in style and variety of subjects. Its carved portal placed between the nave and narthex, with, notably, the tympanum of the “Mission of the Apostles, makes it one of the major monuments of Western Romanesque art.

Criterion (vi): In the 12th century, the hill of Vézelay was a choice location where medieval Christian spirituality, reaching a sort of paroxysm, gave rise to various and specific expressions, from prayer and chanson de geste to the Crusades.

Encyclopedia Record: Vézelay Abbey

Vézelay Abbey is a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Vézelay in the east-central French department of Yonne. It was constructed between 1120 and 1150. The Benedictine abbey church, now the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, with its complex program of imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, is one of the great masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture. Sacked by the Huguenots in 1569, the building suffered neglect in the 17th and the 18th centuries and some further damage during the period of the French Revolution.

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