At 7 o'clock I was on my bike. I had decided to reach Vézelay via Corbigny from Nevers in order to do that part of the via Lemovicensis (the road over Limoges) that I had not done last year. As I said yesterday, from Vézelay you have to choose between going via La Charité-sur-Loire or via Nevers. I had then chosen La Charité-sur-Loire.
I first cycle past Guérigny, la cité des forges royales. In the 18th century, this town specialized in making heavy cannons and anchors for ships. Now the factory has been transformed into a Museum. The church dedicated to Saint Pierre was only built in the 18th century to replace another one that was demolished. It is an example of a Classicist church.
Guérigny, la cité des forges royales., The factory (now museum) and the church
Then I continue to Corbigny to visit the abbey of Saint Leonard de Corbigny, but when I get there there a grumpy lady says that the visit is only in the afternoon and that I must come back. The visit is therefore limited to taking a picture of the 18th-century building. There is nothing else for me to do but to go to the Saint Seine church of Corbigny that I can enter. Few beautiful things but still some interesting 19th century historical stained glass windows.
Corbigny : abbey of Saint Leonard and church of Saint Seine
From Corbigny I regularly meet pilgrims, alone or in groups. A man says hello to me with clearly a Dutch accent and I wish him well in Dutch. We start talking: his name is Koos Van Hoogmoed from Hagerdijk in the Netherlands. He has been on the road to Santiago since July 19, but he does not know if he will get there. Of course he hopes so. His wife passed away two years ago from severe ovarian cancer. He quit his job and took care of her for the last five years of her life. They were very good years together, he says. Now he hikes to Santiago de Compostela and has his wife with him in his mind. I also tell our story of Rientje and everyone who walks, runs or cycles for him. He thinks it's great that two grandchildren did part of the journey with me. I say I'm super proud of them. The cycling creates bonds that cannot be broken. We both get a bit emotional with our story, but no one sees us when we wipe away a tear. We give each other a big hug. A fine man whom I wish all the best for his journey to Santiago.
Koos Van Hoogmoed and a beautiful cross with images of the passion of Christ on the way to Bazoches
I want to make a short detour along Bazoches before I arrive in Vézelay. There, in the small church, Vauban is buried, the great strategic military builder of Louis XIV. He was born in St Léger which is now called St Léger-de-Vauban. Nearby is the abbey of La Pierre-qui-Vire where the monks published the Zodiac book series on Romanesque art for many years. Thanks to these monks, every Romanesque stone, statue, church or chapel has been photographed on the one hand and described on the other. A boon to humanity.
Church of Bazoches with the tomb of Vauban , the
I want to make a short detour along Bazoches before I arrive in Vézelay. There, in the small church, Vauban is buried, the great strategic military architect/ builder of King Louis XIV. He was born in St Léger which is now called St Léger-de-Vauban. Nearby is the abbey of La Pierre-qui-Vire where the monks published the Zodiac book series on Romanesque art for many years. Thanks to these monks, every Romanesque stone, statue, church or chapel has been photographed on the one hand and described on the other. A boon to humanity.
Bust and memorial plaque of Vauban; the castle of Bazoches where Vauban lived
From Bazoches I continue towards Vézelay and I also pass Saint Père-sous-Vézelay. The Notre-Dame church replaced the parish church of Saint-Pierre which was set on fire during the Wars of Religion. Originally a simple chapel, it was rebuilt in the 13th century by the monks of Vézelay. It is one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Burgundy. The village was occupied by the English in 1360 and set on fire by the Protestants in 1569. The church was restored in the 19th century (by Viollet-le-Duc, among others). There are many angels on the tower and Rientje is crazy about all those angels.
Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay: church of Our Lady
Past Saint Père-sous-Vézelay it is once again hard to pedal because the way goes up for about two kilometers up the famous mountain of Vézelay where the cathedral-basilica with the relics of Mary Magdalene are located. The house for pilgrims, Sainte Marie Madeleine, is located just before the basilica on the right. I also stayed there last year. It is about 3 pm when I arrive at the hospitalier, who is a volunteers, and in his case, Luc a volunteer from Dinant, keeps the pilgrim's house open. Immediately put my bike in and have it charged. He is very friendly, welcomes everyone, pours water or coffee and later even helps to carry the luggage upstairs. Together with a lady, who is responsible for the women's room, he takes care of the maintenance of the dormitories and other premises; also for breakfast. They help in every possible way including if you have sore feet or need a doctor etc. They kindly give all useful information about the services in the abbey church.
Arrival in Vézelay through the Tour des ramparts, and the basilica of St. Mary Magdalene
I walk into the basilica anyway because I have to take a picture of Saint Mary Magdalene which I forgot to photograph last year. I would also like to take a look at the beautiful tympanum of Pentecost in the narthex and also take a walk around the church itself to admire some of the unique capitals. For more information about either the church of Saint Père-sous-Vézelay or the cathedral-basilica of Vézelay, please visit my blog from last year 2022 at the following links: https://www.rinus-pinifonds.eu/post /dag-8-van-tonnerre-to-v%C3%A9zelay-en-de-montagne-sacr%C3%A9e and https://www.rinus-pinifonds.eu/post/dag-9-rustdag-met -a-visit-saint-p%C3%A8re-sous-v%C3%A9zelay.
Vézelay: St. Mary Magdalene basilica with the tympanum of Pentecost and the statue of the saint
At 4 pm the registration of the pilgrims starts based on your credential booklet that you must have with you with stamps to prove that you are a real pilgrim. In recent years, too many people have tried to find a good place to stay at the expense of the monks and nuns of Vézelay. They still use the “donative” system. That means you don't pay a fixed price. You get a bed in a dormitory for 12 to 15 men or a smaller room of 10 for the women because there are fewer women who pilgrim. You get sheets and in the morning a breakfast of bread, butter and jam and delicious coffee with milk or sugar or of course tea or chocolate milk; really French. After registration you can choose your own bed. I was the first to arrive and was therefore the first to choose a bed. I always choose a corner near a window near the toilets and showers. helpful if you have to get up at night at my age. Everyone has to take off their shoes when they enter the dormitory. The lights go out at 21:30 and everyone is expected not to make any noise or turn on the lights. After all, everyone gets up early and breakfast is served from 6:15 am or 6:30 am.
Vézelay: St. Mary Magdalene basilica; sdormitory of the pilgrims and my bed
You pay as much as you want but the minimum is 15 euros. You just put the money in a box that hangs on the wall. There is no evening meal, but everyone can use the kitchen or eat something they brought with them. For the first time I bought a pizza from a vending machine that delivers the pizza in 5 minutes. It comes in some kind of aluminum packaging that itself is stuck in a cardboard box. It's really tasty and only costs 12 euros. That came in handy because the little Vidal shop was closed for some reason. I even had another pint from the day before and I have a nice meal. I eat together with other pilgrims. At the table I meet another Yves, from Maastricht who will start his journey to Santiago in the morning. He has a 13-year-old daughter Iefke who is severely epileptic and about whom he is very concerned. The doctor and his psychologist advised him to let his daughter become more independent. So he left for Santiago. He does not know how long he will be on the road. Around me are also French and Swiss pilgrims. A French lady speaks to me in Dutch because she has a future daughter-in-law who is Dutch and she really wants to know Dutch. I try to talk to her and she really appreciates this. She hesitates a bit but she manages.
Vézelay
Around 8.30 pm I say good evening to everyone because I am tired and tomorrow there are another 100 km waiting from Vézelay to the small village of Montfey above Saint Florentin, a bit above Auxerre. I want to try to visit Auxerre along the way and also the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny. We'll see if I can do that. Soon the dormitory is full and all the lights go out and it becomes quiet.
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