Day 4 - Vezeley and Abbaye de Fontenay

In the morning, we drove to Vezeley, a picturesque hilltop town. The main attraction here is Basilique Ste-Madeleine, an important focal point for 11th and 12th century pilgrims. They came here to see the relics of St. Mary Madelaine before setting off on the great trek to the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. We arrived in time for Sunday mass. We joined in for a while, more for the atmosphere than anything as the mass was conducted in French and the only words I understood and were repeated over and over again were “Mary Madelaine”.

Basilique Ste-Madeleine


The other side of Basilique Ste-Madeleine

After lunch, we visited the Abbaye de Fontenay, the best preserved of the Cistercian abbeys. It was founded in 1118 by St. Bernard. At the height of its glory, the abbey housed over 300 monks. Under the protection of Pope Gregory IX and Hughes IV, it prospered until the 16th century. Dissolved during the French Revolution, the abbey was used as a paper mill factory until 1906. Fortunately, the buildings were preserved and the small garden immaculately kept.

The house for the dogs

The chapel

The Monks' dorm

When we returned to Auxerre, the weather is still good. Cold but the sky is clear. So, we drove around Auxerre to take a couple of photos.