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Origin and history

The Cordelle Chapel, located in Vézelay, Yonne, was built between 1146 and 1170 at the initiative of Abbé Ponce de Montboisier. It commemorates a miracle that occurred during the preaching of Saint Bernard for the Second Crusade (1146), in the presence of King Louis VII and Alienor of Aquitaine. The partial collapse of a stage under the influx of knights, without making any victims, was interpreted as a divine sign. The chapel, dedicated to the Holy Cross and nicknamed the Cordelle (reference to Franciscan cords), was consecrated in 1152.

Nearby, a Benedictine priory under the name of Saint Fiacre was founded, then entrusted to the Franciscans in the 13th century. The latter remained there until the Revolution. Saint Louis stopped there twice (1248, 1267) during his pilgrimages to the relics of Marie-Madeleine at the Basilica of Vézelay. The chapel, of quadrangular plan and vaulted in ogival cradle, has an atypical north-south orientation, adapted to the slope of the terrain.

Ranked a historical monument in 1953, the chapel was restored by the Franciscans after their return in 1949. Today, three brothers welcome pilgrims and visitors to a place that is permanently open. A renovation project (2024–2026), including archaeological excavations carried out by INRAP, aims to redevelop the hermitage into three spaces, from collection to spiritual opening. The chapel retains remarkable Romanesque elements, such as carved capitals (including an owl symbolizing the Old Testament) and original windows.

Its vault, originally designed to stabilize the building on the slope, is now used as a winter chapel. The vaults, raised later in a Gothic style, bear witness to the architectural evolution of the site. The Cordelle remains a starting point for the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela and Assisi, with an estimated daily attendance of 150 visitors in the high season.

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