Do you know the way to Vézelay?

I wonder how many abbeys, castles, moats, and cathedrals you need to see before it becomes something that you don't write home about. We clearly haven't hit that point yet, as our trip on Wednesday (no school day!) to another famous abbey left us in awe (again).

We had kept the rental minivan a few extra days after Jay and Judy left so that John could visit some of the sites he needed to for his research (the car that we arranged with the house rental is perfect for around town and in the villages, but not meant for long distance travel)... and one of those trips included stopping by the Basilica of St. Magdalene in Vézelay and the nearby Saint-Pere-sous-Vézelay.

 

 

Although I am generally not a fan of Wikipedia (and teach my students that it is NOT an acceptable academic source), the website does a good job summing up the history and importance of this hilltop town. "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 (in southwestern France).  

"In 1058 the Pope confirmed the genuineness of the relics, leading to an influx of pilgrims that has continued to this day. Vézelay Abbey was also a major starting point for pilgrims on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important of all medieval pilgrimage centres. This was crucially important in attracting pilgrims and the wealth they brought to the town. Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade at Vézelay in 1146. In 1189, the Frankish and English factions of the Third Crusade met at Vézelay before officially departing for the Holy Land."

 

  

 

All of this knowledge left us explaining yet around round of questions from the kids that ranged from the interesting (what is a pilgrim? why would someone go on a pilgrimage? what did they do on a pilgrimage? do people go on them today?) to the not-so-easily-explainable (why did people go on a crusade? what happened during it? were crusades good things or bad things?).

 

  

 

And what the general facts about Vézelay can't tell you is the way you feel in this cavernous cathedral. The arches seem to soar impossibly high, and the sunken crypt where the finger bone of Mary Magdelene is still on display today leaves you feeling something between the macabre and the miraculous. 

 

  

(that's her finger in there -- at least according to one Pope)

 
In addition to the beauty of the basilica, I think Vézelay will also always rank high in my memories because of the wonderful lunch we had at a creperie there at the end of our visit. John and I had given the kids lunch before we left and we had hoped to find a cafe en route. Instead, we arrived just as lunch was officially over (and the kids needed the walk up the hill to the church). So John and I were REALLY hungry by the time we meandered down the hill and lucked into a place still open for lunch. The food and atmosphere were equally amazing.

 

  

  

yes, that's a warm and working fireplace in the background

OK. Clearly I need to cut down on the use of my superlatives. But I don't think I want the day to come when I stop finding France "amazing", "incredible", "wonderful" or "worth writing home about". And when your trip ends with this...

 

...maybe you can be forgiven for using an exclamation point or two.