Today,
one goes to Vézelay as towards a star.
For
this to happen, Vézelay, already so unique on account of its
geographical situation which makes it a sort of promontory
pointing towards the skyVézelay had to receive something of
great importance, and the veneration of the god who took
possession of it had to have a marvel of a temple. That was
not enough.
Kings
had also to kneel in front of a woman, symbol of love, and
that woman had to be the first witness of Christ's
resurrection. Immense demonstrations of religious faith, close
to fanaticism, had to find here the sign of the word which
sent them blindly towards the East, to liberate Christ's tomb
from the hands of the Infidels.
Abbeys,
bishops, Counts of Nevers and Autun had to quarrel and tear
one another apart here, Popes had to arbitrate conflicts and
authenticate relics.An uncontrollable impetus had to push
crowds towards the remains of this
woman,
and what a woman! One of the most beautiful love-givers in all
human history, but on whom monks have bestowed a severe look.
Hatred,
and deadly jealousies, had to exist between denominations of
the saine faith ; blood had to be shed in the streets of
Vézelay. People had to slay one another, the town had to be
conquered and reconquered duringWars of Religion. People had
to be massacred there, and had to dream of a republic. The
abbey-church was saved from destruction, during the Revolution,
by becoming the temple of Reason, andVézelay ahnost fell into
ruin until the 19th century, when a famous writer and an
architect of genius rescued it from darkness.
Let's move on.
