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On the way up to the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, the Visitor's House is an essential step for those who want to understand the monument and its entire universe. Indeed, we do not possess the keys to read the greatness of Vézelay and it is in this that the House of the visitor will accompany us. A warm welcome, which places us in front of a mysterious door on which nails form a spiral (one of the symbols that we will find in the Basilica). Once through the door, songs, music, images... everything immerses us in the history of this exceptional site. In the basement of the house, we discover how the builders of the Middle Ages oriented the building according to the course of the sun (the chevet always pointed towards the East), how they realized the Basilica according to perfect proportions. Finally, some reproductions of the magnificent capitals of the Basilica offer us a reading of these stone books. These are fascinating explanations and, in our opinion, indispensable for seeing the monument in a different light. Finally, the House of the Visitor also offers guided tours, such as "The Basilica Revealed" or the showing of a film on the great tympanum.
A special mention for the winter solstice tours which take place during the holidays and make you discover the basilica in a spectacular light, and even unique in the world! The visit is on reservation and lasts 1 hour. A wonderful opportunity to appreciate the magic of the Eternal Hill!
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Members' reviews on LA MAISON DU VISITEUR
The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.
J'avais visité de nombreuses fois la Basilique. Jamais cela n'avait provoqué l'émotion que m'a procuré cette visite-ci.
Notre guide, Irlandais d'origine, a su nous introduire à la dimension symbolique et au sentiment du sacré qui ont inspiré les bâtisseurs de cette église et qu'ils ont inscrit dans la pierre. En saisissant leur vision de la place de l'homme dans l'univers, entre monde naturel et transcendance, nous devenons leurs frères et sœurs à travers temps et espace.
Merci à notre guide de nous avoir fait partager sa passion avec tant d'enthousiasme et de gentillesse (en dépassant largement les 2h de visite annoncés). C'était un beau moment...
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We met him in the Maison for a talk and demonstration of the architecture and planning and mathematics that made it special. He explained the role of Vezelay as a starting point of pilgrimages to Santiago that took place a thousand years ago and why they were important. He showed us a film ( that I think he helped make) that explained a lot about the light and the spiritual reasons behind it all. Then Christopher took us to the basilica and showed us the tympanum and explained its positive nature and contrasted that with other tympanums at other famous churches in the region. Then he took us inside and showed us the basilica including the contrast between the body of the church and the choir. Then we saw some of the carvings at the top of the columns that usually told stories from the bible. The one we spent most time on was a story of Cain from Genesis.
In short the three hour tour was thrilling and packed with information. My thanks to Christopher Kelly, our guide.