There, the supposed relics of St. Mary Magdalene are still on display. She was known as the Apostle to the Apostles. The Benedictine abbey church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine at Vézelay in Burgundy is one of the most important surviving monuments of architecture and sculpture of the Romanesque period. This was crucially important in attracting pilgrims and the wealth they brought to the town.The crypt below the front of the church where relics of Mary Magdalene are keptBernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade at Vézelay in 1146. Vézelay- the relics of St Mary Magdalene unesco | June 03, 2010 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. ©1997-2016 European Focus, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Possession of the relics of Mary Magdalene enabled the abbey of Vézelay in Burgundy to become one of the most important pilgrimage centres in the whole of Europe. Mary Magdalene – The Provençal Tradition There is a widely recognized, time-honored alliance between Mary Magdalene and Provence—South of France. Possession of the relics of Mary Magdalene enabled the abbey of Vézelay in Burgundy to become one of the most important pilgrimage centres in the whole of Europe. Designed and hosted by Paintscape.Net Mary Magdalene was both the archetypal sinner redeemed and through her devotion a symbol for nothing less than the Christian Church. It was a popular medieval pilgrimage destination and was the starting point for the second and third crusades The stories overlap and the names of the protagonists vary, however two key figures emerge, a monk named Badilon and the original ninth century founder of the abbey, Count Girart de Roussillon.The oldest account features Badilon, who in the ninth century had taken refuge at Vézelay from the nearby monastery of Saint Martin at Autun which had been raided by Visigoths from southern France. Two significant sites of pilgrimage bear witness to this claim: the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene in St.-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume and La Sainte-Baume, a mountain cave on the plain of the Plan d’Aups, overlooking the Massif de la Sainte-Baume. The Benedictine abbey church, now the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene), with its complex program of imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, is one of the outstanding masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture. Now she is something of an icon for feminine power from Biblical times. Festivals, exhibitions, concerts and major events... On France.fr and everywhere in France, there's always something going on. According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium a monk named Baudillon brought relics of Mary Magdalene to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume.. All you need to know before you set off for France.

Vézelay’s hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. Are you forgetting something? According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium a monk named Baudillon brought relics (bones) of Mary Magdalene to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. Vézelay Abbey (French: Abbaye Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay) is a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Vézelay in the east-central French department of Yonne. Established 1989. In 1189, the Frankish and English factions of the Third Crusade met at Vézelay before officially departing for the Holy Land. In the New Testament she is mentioned among the women who accompanied Christ and ministered to Him (Luke, viii, 2-3), where it is also said that seven … Her relics are an important destination of pilgrimages. ( Mystagogy Resource Center ) Legends of a Forgotten Leader . Upon discovery of the tomb, Charles II built a grand basilica, Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, in place of the old church. at the Centre Pompidou in ParisHills of vines, traversed by peaceful canals and dotted with villages rich in heritage: Burgundy…This little savoury cheese snack is a classic aperitif in Burgundy. Joseph Bastide, sacristan of St. Maximin removed from desecration the skull of St. Mary Magdalen along with the holy glass sphere (containing earth soaked with the blood of Our Most Holy Lord Jesus Christ collected by St Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross).

In 1037 a new abbot was elected at Given that there was an established cult of Mary Magdalene’s relics at Ephesus and that there seemed no previously recorded account of how the relics had reached the Burgundian abbey, his claim was contentious.Geoffroy himself, acknowledged this, writing that “Many have wondered how it was possible that the body of Saint Mary Magdalene, who was born in Judea, was brought to Gaul from such a distant region”. He justified his claim on the grounds that all things were possible for God and furthermore, sceptics had been punished while those who had confessed their doubt had been rewarded with salvation by Mary Magdalene’s intercession.With the claim to possession of her mortal remains beyond dispute, the abbey grew to become one of the major pilgrimage shrines of medieval Europe.By the end of the century one of the largest churches in Christendom stood over the simple crypt.There are a number of legendary narratives which tell of how the relics reached Vézelay. There, the supposed relics of St. Mary Magdalene are still on display. With the relics of Mary Magdalene, in the 11th century Vézelay became one of the most important holy places of the Christian world and a departure point for the St James’ Way pilgrimage. Which part of planet France will you be exploring today? In 1058 the Pope confirmed the genuineness of the relics, leading to an influx of pilgrims that has continued to this day. A romantic tour of the wine route or a family cruise?