Vézelay, Church and Hill

Vézelay, Church and Hill is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural, inscribed in 1979 (WHS 84).

Criteria & Perimeter

Inscription criteria

(i)

Summary

Shortly after its foundation in the 9th century, the Benedictine abbey of Vézelay acquired the relics of St Mary Magdalene and since then it has been an important place of pilgrimage. St Bernard preached the Second Crusade there in 1146 and Richard the Lion-Hearted and Philip II Augustus met there to leave for the Third Crusade in 1190. With its sculpted capitals and portal, the Madeleine of Vézelay – a 12th-century monastic church – is a masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture.

Monuments in the Zone

Selection of protected monuments

Eglise de Saint-Christophe-du-Jambet — Saint-Christophe-du-Jambet
Château du Bois-Jourdan — Bouère
Eglise de Le Boupère — Le Boupère
Chapelle Sainte-Emérance — La Pouëze
Menhir du moulin à vent de Normandeau — La Renaudière
Hôtel Denis-Dupont de Blois — Blois
Château de Toisy de La Chapelle-Vendômoise — La Chapelle-Vendômoise
Eglise Saint-Martin de Bleury — Bleury
Tour du Fort Saint-Ours — Loches
Eglise Saint-Maurice de Cuffy — Cuffy
Château d'Oursières de Argenvilliers — Argenvilliers
Maison de Aubigny-sur-Nère — Aubigny-sur-Nère
Château d'Angers — Angers
Hôtel de Mayenne — Mayenne
Maison de Richelieu — Richelieu

Appellations of the Landscape

Most-reviewed Loire appellations

Appellation	Avg score	Reviews	Color
Sancerre	89.3	554	White
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine	88.6	237	White
Pouilly-Fumé	89.6	153	White
Vouvray	88.4	153	White
Touraine	86.3	85	White
Chinon	88.7	72	Red
Menetou-Salon	87.3	69	White
Crémant de Loire	87.5	54	Sparkling
Val de Loire	85.6	41	White
Saumur	88.4	40	White
Anjou	87.6	36	White
Rosé d'Anjou	84	35	Rosé

Data source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (data.culture.gouv.fr). Last updated: April 14, 2026.