The little town of Vézelay in the Yonne departement of France is well known for its 12th century basilica of St Mary Magdalene, one of the most notable romanesque and early gothic churches in France, which crowns the hill around which the town is built. For centuries, Vézelay has been a focus of pilgrimage and prayer: in the mid-9th Century a convent of nuns was established in the valley of the Cure a few kilometres from the present site, but after its destruction by the Normans an abbey of Benedictine monks was settled on top of the hill in 878.

When the Saracens invaded Provence it is said that a monk from Vézelay called Badillon was sent to the abbey of St Maximin to bring back the relics of St Mary Magdalen which were venerated there. Little was heard about these until 1037 when, after they had been displayed, miracles were said to have occurred and the news drew an increasing number of pilgrims to the abbey and its comparatively small church. A new and larger church was buit and dedicated in 1104 but after a fire in 1120 which destryed the new church and reportedly cost the lives of 1200 people rebuilding began again and lasted until 1140 resulting in the nave of the present church. In the following 20 years the narthex (or galilee) was built in front of the facade of the new church in order to accommodate the pilgrims, and from about 1185 to the beginning of the 13th Century the romanesque choir and transepts were demolished and replaced in the early gothic style. After that time no further major alterations were made, but the abbey underwent many vicissitudes in the following centuries ending with the total destruction of the monastic buildings at the time of the Revolution. Fortunately the basilica remained, although much decayed and defaced. Around 1840 the inspector of historical monuments, Prosper Merimée (perhaps better known as the author of the novella "Carmen" from which Bizet's opera is derived) alerted the authorities to the precarious state of the building which, he declared, might have to be pulled down to avoid accidents. Work was put in hand and entrusted to a young architect, Viollet-le-Duc, who subsequently became involved in the restoration of many other historic French churches and other monuments such as the walls of Carcassonne.

So, the basilica survives, and although much visited purely for its interest as an ancient monument, it is still a focal point for various religious activities.