Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Vezelay

Location

Bourgogne Region

Country

France

Year of Research

1979

Culture

Shortly after its establishmented in the 9th century, the Benedictine abbey of Vezelay acquired the ruins of St Mary Magdalene and since then it has been an major 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 entrance, the Madeleine of Vezelay – a 12th-century monastic church – is a masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque art and design.