So I searched Mary Madalene: Camino de Santiago and I came up with a lot of blogs. I guess I will just search the sight Vezeley that is mentioned in the Liber Sancti account. Can I look into the Marseille one? Anyways. This is supposed to focus on the site not the person. I will search Vezeley and see what the history behind it is.
Vezeley camino was my search term. This is what I found which is mostly again just blogs or travel websites. I will look at Vezeley Mary Magdalene next.
This pops up as Vezeley Abbey. This is probably a narrower site than the town and might be better to focus on.
Wikipedia
According to wikipedia it is a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery. Roman villa that was passed into Caroligian hands and court of Girart Roussillon. 8th century the monastaries were looted and one was burned they think by Norman raiders. I believe we touched on this in class but it was said that people said this a lot to explain things that could have just accidently occurred.
Around 1050, monks started claiming they had Mary Magdelene’s relics. Badillo or his underlings are the ones who are said to have found the holy relics in the 9th century and brought them back from the holy land. However, the story is probably made up considering they sat on the information of having her relics for a little while.
A second theory is a monk nabbed Mary Magdelene’s sarcophagus from St. Maxim in Provence and brought it back to the Abby. Apparently, slaves brought there shackles and they were melted down (actually it says freed captives) and made into iron railing around the coffin. What is the significance? I do not know but it does sound important.
Prototype of the penitent? the sorry. Romanesque architecture is one of the finest. Huguenots torched relics in 16th century. Abbot was killed because he was taxing the people to much. Patronage began to decline in late 1200 because in Provence they made the claim of having the body of Mary. The king also supported them.
1900s church about to collapse and restoration project is put underway. Carmen was the one who warned about the collapse and recommended the architect for the project.
Sort of disappointed in the overview wikipedia gave me. It is by no means perfect but it usually is not super confusing but this entry definitely was. It was jumping all over the place. I did find the melting of chains to be interesting. I could maybe research what melting of chains has to do with saints.
Other websites
Abbey related to the 2nd an 3rd crusade. St. Bernard preached there during the second and Richard the Lionheart and Phillip II Augustus left there for the 3rd one.
Sacred Destinations
Yay! Finally, I found a website that has easily readable information. I was extremely confused with what was going on. I thought I was having trouble reading for a little while there. Anyways this has some good information.
Basilique Ste-Madeleine (Basilica Church of St. Mary Magdalene) is the churches official name since I do not think I mentioned it before.
It is the largest Romanesque church in France and is only 10 yards shorter than Notre-Dame. Also, it confirms this church saw the beginning of both the 2nd and 3rd crusade.
860 A.D. is where the history of the Vezeley church began. Gerard, count of Rousaillon and his wife designated the hill for the abbey. The abbey at Cluny oversaw the abbey during its start. Eudes was the first abbot. It was thought that the first abbey at Vezeley was destroyed by Normans though the site does not specify when.
The abbey was restored in the 11th century by Abbot Geoffery and was the reason the abbey would become associated with Mary Magdelene. 1050 A.D. letter first official document showing that Mary Magdelene the saint was already a part of the abbey’s title.
First account of Magdelene’s body being taken it was taken with Maximus as well. The second tale only recounts Magdelene’s body being taken. The account of Mary’s body being there was believed for 2 centuries. Pilgrimage made the abbey powerful and well-known. Basillica began in 1096 and was dedicated in 1104. 1120 the abbey was burned down and the abbot murdered for attempting to make the townspeople pay for the construction. 12th century 3 more revolts. The church here must have been very corrupt. It seems like it is always in tumult.
1280 priest at Provence claimed to have found the true body in their church. I really don’t understand who people would believe and how it would really be proved. Is it just whoever says it loudest?
Became a collegiate church and was sacked by Huguenots and later almost fully destroyed in the French Revolution. Viollet le Duc restored the abbey in 1840.
St. Cecilia 