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Vézelay is a commune
Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative divisions in the France. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin Medieval commune, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common....
 in the Yonne
Yonne

Yonne is a France departments of France named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Bourgogne in eastern France and its Prefectures in France is Auxerre....
 département in the Bourgogne
Bourgogne

Bourgogne is one of the 26 regions of France of France.The region of Bourgogne is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Duke of Burgundy....
 région
Régions of France

France is divided into 26 regions or r?gions , of which 21 are in continental metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, and four lie overseas....
 of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.

It is principally noted for Vézelay Abbey
Vézelay Abbey

V?zelay Abbey was a Order of St. Benedict and Cluniac monastery in V?zelay in the Yonne D?partement in France in Bourgogne, France. The Benedictine abbey church of Ste-Marie-Madeleine , with its complicated program of imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, is one of the outstanding masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque architecture, t...
 (Basilica of St. Magdalene), sited here since the 9th century.

lay's hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium
Millennium

A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years . The term may implicitly refer to calendar millenniums; periods tied numerically to a particular calendar, specifically ones that begin at the starting point of the calendar in question or in later years which are whole number multiples of a thousand years after it....
 a monk named Baudillon brought relic
Relic

A relic is an object or a personal item of Religion significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other religions....
s (bones) of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene

Saint Mary Magdalene or Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted Disciple of Jesus....
 to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume

Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume is a Communes of France of southeastern France, east of Aix-en-Provence, in the westernmost point of Var Departments of France....
.






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Vézelay is a commune
Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative divisions in the France. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin Medieval commune, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common....
 in the Yonne
Yonne

Yonne is a France departments of France named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Bourgogne in eastern France and its Prefectures in France is Auxerre....
 département in the Bourgogne
Bourgogne

Bourgogne is one of the 26 regions of France of France.The region of Bourgogne is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Duke of Burgundy....
 région
Régions of France

France is divided into 26 regions or r?gions , of which 21 are in continental metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, and four lie overseas....
 of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.

It is principally noted for Vézelay Abbey
Vézelay Abbey

V?zelay Abbey was a Order of St. Benedict and Cluniac monastery in V?zelay in the Yonne D?partement in France in Bourgogne, France. The Benedictine abbey church of Ste-Marie-Madeleine , with its complicated program of imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, is one of the outstanding masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque architecture, t...
 (Basilica of St. Magdalene), sited here since the 9th century.

History

Vézelay's hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium
Millennium

A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years . The term may implicitly refer to calendar millenniums; periods tied numerically to a particular calendar, specifically ones that begin at the starting point of the calendar in question or in later years which are whole number multiples of a thousand years after it....
 a monk named Baudillon brought relic
Relic

A relic is an object or a personal item of Religion significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other religions....
s (bones) of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene

Saint Mary Magdalene or Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted Disciple of Jesus....
 to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume

Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume is a Communes of France of southeastern France, east of Aix-en-Provence, in the westernmost point of Var Departments of France....
. In 1058 the Pope
Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
 confirmed the genuineness of the relics, leading to an influx of pilgrim
Pilgrim

A pilgrim is one who undertakes a pilgrimage, literally 'far afield'. This is traditionally a visit to a place of some religious or historic significance; often a considerable distance is traveled....
s that has continued to this day. Vézelay Abbey was also a major starting point for pilgrims on the Way of St. James
Way of St. James

The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the Twelve Apostles, James, son of Zebedee, are buried....
 to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain of Galicia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the north west of Spain in the A Coru?a , it was the "European City of Culture" for the year 2000....
, 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
Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order. After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order....
 preached the Second Crusade
Second Crusade

The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year....
 at Vézelay in 1146. In 1189, the Frankish and English factions of the Third Crusade
Third Crusade

The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin .After the failure of the Second Crusade, the Zengid dynasty controlled a unified Syria and engaged in a conflict with the Fatimid dynasty rulers of Egypt, which ultimately resulted in the unification of Egy...
 met at Vézelay before officially departing for the Holy Land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 1999, the population was 492.
On 1 January 2006, the estimate was 473.

Wine

Bourgogne Vézelay is the local wine appellation. Vineyards descend to the edge of the town and produce a range of mostly white wines, based mainly on the Chardonnay
Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine to New Zealand wine....
, Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines produced predominantly from Pinot noir grapes....
 and Melon de Bourgogne
Melon de Bourgogne

Melon de Bourgogne is a variety of white grape grown in the Loire Valley region of France and best known through its use in the wine Muscadet....
 grape varieties. About half of the production is marketed through the Cave Henry co-operative.

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