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Chapel of the Cordelle de Vézelay dans l'Yonne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Chapelle
Yonne

Chapel of the Cordelle de Vézelay

    330 Les Champs de la Cordelle
    89450 Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Chapelle de la Cordelle de Vézelay
Crédit photo : Ibex73 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1300
1400
1900
2000
1146
St Bernard's Message
1152
Consecration of the chapel
1146–1170
Construction of the chapel
XIIIe siècle
Arrival of Franciscans
1949
Return of Franciscans
1953
Historical monument classification
2024–2026
Renovation and excavations INRAP
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Chapelle de la Cordelle with its crypt and the portal of the old church: classification by decree of 24 November 1953

Key figures

Saint Bernard - Preacher of the Second Crusade The origin of the miracle of 1146.
Ponce de Montboisier - Abbé of Vézelay (1138–1161) Commander of the chapel.
Louis VII - King of France Present at the miracle of 1146.
Aliénor d'Aquitaine - Queen of France Witness of the miracle with Louis VII.
Saint Louis - King of France (11th century) Visited the chapel in 1248 and 1267.

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.

External links