Country France Population (2006) 486 Local time Wednesday 3:47 PM | Canton Vézelay Area 21.83 km² | |
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Region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Weather 16°C, Wind N at 23 km/h, 45% Humidity Points of interest Vézelay Abbey, Musée Zervos, Maison Jules Roy | ||
Vézelay ([vezlɛ]) is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. It is a defendable hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and the famous 11th century Romanesque Basilica of St Magdalene are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Contents
Map of 89450 V%C3%A9zelay, France
History
Vézelay's hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. In the 9th century the Benedictines were given land to build a monastery during the reign of Charles the Bald. 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.
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, Pinot noir and Melon de Bourgogne grape varieties. About half of the production is marketed through the Cave Henry co-operative. The vineyards are believed to have been established by the Monastery in the ninth century. In the late nineteenth century the vineyards were decimated by phylloxera. The vineyards were revived during the 1970s.