Burgundy Romanesque — Vézelay, Saint James pilgrimage

Your journey begins on the forecourt of the Basilica Sainte-Madeleine in Vézelay. Dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene in 1050 and subjected to the Cluny order in 1058, this basilica was built during the 12th century. It is a masterpiece of Western medieval art, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was here in 1146 that Saint Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade, marking Vézelay as a primary stop on the route to Compostela. The very wide nave, typically Burgundian with its careful elevation, was saved from ruin by Viollet-le-Duc's intervention in the mid-19th century, generalizing the Anzy-le-Duc model.

Continue your exploration of Vézelay by traversing the "eternal hill." As early as 880, ramparts surrounded this hill, offering refuge to the nuns of Saint-Père. The rampart path around the hill provides extensive views of the surroundings, and it is a starting point for the Vézelay route (via Lemovicensis) to Santiago de Compostela, a path of approximately 1100 km to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. In the 11th century, Vézelay was already one of the four major starting points for pilgrims heading to Santiago, testifying to its central role in medieval religious tourism and the heritage of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

The roadtrip then takes you to Avallon, a fortified old town at the gates of the Morvan Regional Natural Park. From the Saint-Lazare Church, located at 15 Rue Bocquillot, 89200 Avallon, the GR13 begins towards Vézelay. Viollet-le-Duc estimated its construction began in 1240, with parts dating from the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. This church is a landmark on the Avallon-Vézelay itinerary, a route of 19 to 20.3 km via the GR13 and the Way of Saint James. A visit to the town through the Cousin valley is essential to appreciate its natural setting and medieval heritage, another example of Romanesque Burgundy's patrimony.

Your route leads you to Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay, where a community of nuns was founded around 860. These nuns found refuge on the Vézelay hill in 880 during a Norman invasion. The Notre-Dame Church, along with the excavations of the Gallo-Roman thermal baths of Fontaines-Salées discovered in 1934 by René Louis and excavated by Bernard Lacroix from 1947 to 1995, reveal the historical layers of this region. Along the way, make a stop in Pontaubert, 6.3 km on the Avallon-Vézelay route, to discover its Romanesque church. These sites, though less famous than Vézelay Basilica, are essential testimonies to the history of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

This "Romanesque Burgundy — Vézelay, Saint-Jacques, Avallonais" roadtrip is a deep immersion into the history of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. By following the GR13 and the paths of Santiago de Compostela, you explore historical monuments and landscapes that witnessed kings like Philip Augustus and Richard the Lionheart, both of whom departed from Vézelay for the Third Crusade. You discover how every stone and every path tells a story of faith, pilgrimage, and architectural restoration. This visit to Vézelay and its surroundings is an invitation to relive the eras when the "Fert" of the House of Burgundy resonated in these lands, leaving an invaluable cultural and spiritual heritage.