As a continuation of the last story about the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, where we explored the longest route from Paris, I’ll now have a look at another route from the vineyards of Burgundy in central France.  This route starts in the beautiful medieval town of Vézelay, and takes in a number of lovely destinations en route that are well worth exploring.

The Way of Vézelay, known as the Via Lemovicensis, is approx. 900 kms (roughly 43 walking days) from here to Santiago de Compostela.  This quiet and scenic pilgrimage route starts from the 12^th century Basilica de Saint Madeleine in Vezelay, in Burgundy.  It joins other routes at Ostabat before ending in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

The route splits briefly after Vézelay, offering a choice to pass through either Nevers or Bourges.  Other major towns it goes through are Limoges, and Périgueux.

Vézelay’s Basilica dominates the surrounding countryside for kilometres around.  It was constructed from funds raised by pilgrims in the 12^th century.   Built on land that had been a late Roman villa, the Basilica was constructed between 1120 and 1150 as the Abbaye Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay for the Benedictine order, becoming a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery.

About 1050, the monks of Vézelay began to claim that they held the relics of Mary Magdalene, brought, they said, from the Holy Land.  These relics can be seen inside the Basilica.

Fifteen years after the tympanum was completed, Bernard of Clairvaux chose Vézelay as the place from where he would call for a Second Crusade.  Vézelay was even the staging point for the Third Crusade, and it is there that King Richard the Lionheart of England and King Philip Augustus of France met and joined their armies for a combined western invasion of the Holy Land.  The Basilica’s portal reflects its place in the history of the Crusades.

The Basilica is renowned for the complex imagery on its sculpted capitals and portals, regarded as one of the great masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture.

It was sacked by the Huguenots in 1569, and the building as a whole suffered neglect in the 17^th and 18^th centuries and some further damage during the Revolution.  The Basilica is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The original settlement of Bourges was destroyed by the forces of Julius Caesar in 52 BCE, and subsequently rebuilt as a Roman city.  Caesar had a wall constructed to encircle the town, dotted with 50 towers.  The towers were sold off in the 13th century, and some are hidden inside houses that built up around the city over the centuries.

Constructed between 1195 – 1230, around the same time as Chartres Cathedral, Saint Etienne Cathedral is considered to be one of the earliest examples of High Gothic architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Regarded as the jewel of the city, the church is particularly known for its great size, and has some of the most magnificent 13^th century stained glass windows in the country.  It’s possible to climb the north tower and admire the panoramic view of the city and its surrounds.

Take a stroll through the delightful centre of Bourges, whose heart is a maze of medieval alleyways, and discover its more than 500 half-timbered houses, dating from the 15^th and 16^th centuries.  You will encounter shops selling local products, many small bars and restaurants, and be sure not to miss the market at Halle Saint Bonnet, a large glass and metal structure that encapsulates all the scents, colours and flavours of the region.

Before resuming your journey, a lovely place to take a rest is the beautiful Prés Fichaux Gardens.  Designed in the 1920s it is a striking example of Art Deco style, with its many plant sculptures made up of pergolas, rows of French lime trees, rectilinear lawns, trimmed yew arches, pools and greenery.

The alternate route south from Vézelay is via the town of Nevers in Burgundy, on the river Loire.  Similarly to Bourges, Nevers was captured and taken over by Julius Caesar and his forces.  Large quantities of medals and other Roman antiquities have been found on the site of the Roman settlement.  It became a bishopric at the end of the 5^th century CE, and for a short time in the 14^th century, the town was the seat of a university, transferred from Orléans.

Narrow, winding streets lead from the quay along the Loire through the town, where there are numerous houses dating the 14^th to 17^th centuries.  Among the ecclesiastical buildings to see, the most important is the Cathedrale of Saint Cyr-Sainte Julitte, which is a combination of two buildings, and possesses two apses.

There is a splendid Ducal Palace of Nevers, now the Palais de Justice and an important ceramic museum, which was formerly principal feudal edifices in this part of France.  The façade is flanked at each end by a turret and a round tower, and a middle tower contains a great staircase which has windows adorned by sculptures relating to former ducal occupying families.

Further along the Route, pop in for a quick visit to the church of Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre, which is a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and said to hold two drops of the blood of Christ in its reliquary.  The church features a magnificent rotunda whose columns are decorated with carves capitals, and is listed on the Vézelay Route of UNESCO’s Routes to Santiago de Compostela.

The two routes link up a little past the town of Neuvy-Saint-Sepulchre, passing through a heavily wooded area offering panoramic views, a peat bog classified as a natural zone for animals and plants, and lovely sunken paths lined with low dry stone walls.  There are 17 tiny hamlets that make up the village of Saint-Goussaud.  Most of the houses were built in granite by local masons.  There is a 12^th century church, the remains of the smallest Gallo-Roman theatre in France, as well as the ruins of a temple dedicated to the god Jupiter.  There are also historic washhouses, fisheries, fountains and especially curious structures that look like dry-stone igloos that locals call shepherds’ lodges.

From here, you head east across to Gargilesse-Dampierre.  This beautiful village sits dramatically on the edge of the river Gargilesse from where it takes its name.  It comes as no surprise to learn that the village is classified as one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France (most beautiful villages of France) and was known to be a favourite of the writer Georges Sand, and many painters, who have been seduced by the picturesque surroundings.

As a result, there are many art galleries around the village.  Also make sure to visit the splendid 12^th century château, which serves as an art gallery and features historical exhibits.  The dovecote of the château serves as the tourist office in the summer months.

Next destination is Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat, listed as one of the Plus Beaux Détours de France.  Once encircled by ramparts, of which only a few remnants remain, today it’s known as a medieval pilgrimage town overlooking the Vienne valley.  The lovely town centre is based around its UNESCO-listed World Heritage Collegiate Church.  Consecrated to St Leonard, the Romanesque church was built in the 11^th – 12^th centuries.

In Place Gay Lussac you will see superb 12^th century houses that were remodelled in the 17^th century, as well as a museum devoted to this scientist, in the former convent of the Filles de Notre Dame.  The area is also the home of the Limousin breed of cattle, which is celebrated every summer in a major festival coupled with the town’s medieval festival.

The next destination is about 23 kms from Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat: the city of Limoges, capital of the Haute-Vienne department, and located on the western foothills of the Massif Central in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.  It’s world-renowned as the “city of fire arts” specifically for its 18^th century fine porcelain, medieval enamel work and stained glass.  With its beautifully preserved old town, this most interesting city has many attractions you will be delighted to explore.  Most obvious is the Musée National Adrian Dubouché, which houses the world’s largest collection of Limoges porcelain, with over 18,000 pieces.

Whilst in Limoges, don’t miss having a look at Limoges-Benedictins, a beautiful Art Deco-era railway station; Saint-Etienne Cathedral is one of the few great Gothic monuments south of the Loire River; the Evêché Museum, set up in the old 13^th century episcopal palace is home to a collection of some 500 one-of-a-kind enamelware pieces, Impressionist paintings and much more.

Rue de la Boucherie is one of the city’s most picturesque, and the Maison Traditionnelle de la Boucherie is the only eco-museum in the country that faithfully recreates the lifestyle of a family of 18^th century butchers, and this, at the heart of 58 houses that were once home to the workers of the city’s most powerful corporation.

Further along the Route, you will come to La Coquille in the Perigord, which was where pilgrims were given a coquille Saint-Jacques, a scallop shell symbolic of the Route to Santiago de Compostela.  From this fact came the name of the village La Coquille.  The church in the village was on the route of Richard the Lionheart, and was re-inaugurated by him.

48 kms from La Coquille lies Périgueux.  Built upon the site of a former Roman city, which flourished during the Roman occupation of Aquitaine in the first centuries CE, this city has some wonderful examples of Medieval and Renaissance architecture.  With its attractive old centre, the 12^th century Saint Front cathedral should be visited and its narrow streets explored.

From Périgueux you will pass through Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, which was known for its wine trade and port as well as a priory where Sainte Foy was venerated.  It became a centre of Calvinism and known as “Little Geneva” and held by the Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion.

43 kms further on you will come to La Réole, located on the right bank of the Garonne, where there is much evidence of Roman occupation including a villa known as La Pontesa.  The town grew up round a monastery founded in the 7^th century CE, and today visitors should visit the church of St Peter dating from the 12^th century, as well as the 18^th century Benedictine monastery.  Remnants of the town’s fortifications can still be seen.

Captieux is next, approx. 60 kms from La Réole, said to be an area where nature and heritage blend harmoniously.  The village has preserved its charm and traditions, where you will discover the typical architecture of the Landes de Gascogne, with the wooden houses and tiled roofs, and the church of Saint-Martin.

After Captieux you will arrive at Sault-de-Navailles, with much rural charm, local heritage and natural beauty as well as the nearby Renaissance Château de la Vignes.  There are also the ruins of ancient Sault castle to see.

If you have not connected with other pilgrims at Ostabat-Asme, continuing instead straight on after Sault-de-Navailles, after a further 76 kms, you will arrive at St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where you will join up with pilgrims who have taken other routes through France.