A Medieval Saga

The Owl
Vol. 2, Issue 32
August 14, 2008
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Inquiring Traveler,

Some call it history, others call it legend. Be it as it may, the story goes that Mary Magdalene had to flee Jerusalem after the crucifixion and found refuge in France where she spent over 30 years.

Regards,

Editor, The Owl

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The Rise and Fall—and Rise—of a Burgundy Hill Town (part 2)

by Madeleine Zhang

The ethereal light inside Vézelay's basilica will make you feel wonder. Photo courtesy of M. Zhang.

Vézelay was at the heart of the era’s major events, and many of the Middle Ages big names came to visit the shrine or set other epoch-making happenings in motion. Bernard of Clairvaux, the leading light of the austere Cistercian order of the period, came to preach the sermon that launched the Second Crusade in 1146 just outside the basilica.

Risks and rivalries

But as with all stories of ambition, success and big business, there were risks, rivalries and reputations to make and break. And so it was with the relics. In 1279 a tomb containing what was thought to be the intact remains of Mary Magdalene was uncovered beneath a small church in St. Maximin in Provence, throwing into doubt the authenticity of the relics at Vézelay (but not affecting Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” which claims they are buried in the Louvre…). Vézelay’s light was on the wane.

Despite St. Louis confirming that the relics in the basilica were genuine, nothing could stop the growing popularity of the relics in St. Maximin, especially after their official recognition by the pope. And nothing could stop the parallel decline of Vézelay’s fortunes.

With dwindling numbers of pilgrims, the basilica struggled to retain its appeal. And yet the hardest blow came from the church itself when Pope Paul III secularized the building, replacing the monks with secular canons or clerics. Things didn’t improve when the Huguenots attacked and destroyed much of the building, torching the relics as they went, and what little remained was not spared by the ravages of the French revolution. By 1790 the basilica, having gone through several downgrades, had become a mere parish church.

Carmen to the rescue

But this is not the end of the story. The writer Prosper Mérimée (author of “Carmen,” the story that inspired the opera) decided to bring Mary Magdalene Basilica back to life. In 1840, as inspector of historic monuments and estates, Mérimée gave the promising young architect Viollet-le-Duc his first commission: to restore the basilica to its former glory.

While Viollet-le-Duc’s work remains controversial (he believed that restoration involved re-establishing a monument in the fullest sense, reaching a state that it had not had before its decline even) no one will doubt that he managed to put Vézelay back on the map. After 19 years the renovation was complete, and in 1870 the Archbishop of neighboring Sens arranged for officially approved relics to replace those that had been destroyed. The finger of Mary Magdalene was placed in the crypt, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the building started its new life with a slow but steady stream of pilgrims.

Today, the monks have returned along with more visitors, and the site has regained its status as a basilica. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site that shouldn’t be missed.