www.burgundy-tourisme.com. The great stone bulk of the Basilique de la Madeleine sits on top of a rounded hilltop like a beacon, surveying a patchwork of fields and trees at the northern extent of the Morvan. The little village of Vézelay pitches down the hill behind it, a jumble of craft shops in summer, pleasantly deserted off season when you can park right outside the monumental Romanesque basilica.

Founded in 860, the Benedictine abbey church was dedicated to Mary Magdalene, whose supposed relics were brought here in the 10thC. It became one of the four main departure points for medieval pilgrims on the Route Saint-Jacques to Santiago de Compostela in Spain; gave Thomas à Becket sanctuary; and St Bernard a pulpit (although he actually preached the Second Crusade in the open air at a spot marked with a cross outside the Porte Sainte-Croix).

The Third Crusade, an unlikely joint venture for old enemies Richard the Lionheart of England and Philippe Auguste of France, also met at Vézelay in 1190, but a century later Mary Magdalene’s bones were ‘rediscovered’ in Provence, ‘and the abbey fell out of favour.

Pillaged by Protestants during the Wars of Religion and by Revolutionary vandals, little more than a shell remained when the energetic 19thC restorer Viollet-le-Duc stepped in and embarked on one of the most creditable projects of his career. Work began in 1840, and lasted for almost 20 years. The fa͵cade was rebuilt with three doors leading into a spacious narthex which is divided from the nave by an internal doorway. This is crowned by a magnificent tympanum showing the Risen Christ, arms open in welcome, surrounded by the apostles. At his feet (the Pagan Races) and around the inner arch (the Converted Races) are represented the various peoples of the world to whom the Gospel must be taken. The outer arch shows the signs of the zodiac together with scenes from a monthly calendar of husbandry.

Beyond the doorway, the graceful striped arches of the nave lead to a light-filled Gothic choir, each pillar along the way sporting superb capitals, 99 in all, fully described in the guide-books on sale at the entrance.

To the right-hand side of the church there are grassy lawns for picnicking in sight of the buttresses, with views across the valley. The village tends to get overrun by coach tours in season, and 20thC pilgrims come out in force on July 22.