A majority of the existing Gothic and Romanesque buildings

A majority of the existing Gothic and Romanesque buildings

A majority of the existing Gothic and Romanesque buildings are churches and cathedrals. These two architectural styles were popular in the middle ages. However, Romanesque architecture was introduced first before it later evolved into the Gothic style, attributable to Abbot Suger a, French monk and historian. The Benedictine church of Sainte Marie Madeleine at Vezelay, Burgundy, is one of the most important surviving monuments of architecture and sculpture of the Romanesque period. It was classified as a pilgrimage church in its own right and is said to contain the relics of St Mary Magdalene to whom it is dedicated. Historically, Vezelay Abbey stood at the beginning of one of the four major routes through France for pilgrims visiting Santiago de Compostela in Garcia in the northeastern region of Spain. Its location is on top of a hill, making it an ideal location for the hard journey intended to be proof for the atonement of sins.                     Nevertheless, the hilltop became built up with time as inns, eateries, and cross-culturalism arose among pilgrim participants. The notable features of this early twentieth-century building that sets it apart are its groin-vaulted nave and antechamber xx.

Additionally, Vezelay Abbey has a splendid program of sculpture on portals and capitals. Its quire dates back from the end of the twelfth century and serves as an essential witness to the adoption of the Gothic style in Burgundy. On the outer façade of the church exists the remains of a sculpture largely destroyed during the French Revolution. Fragments of the sculpture can be found in the cloister. This Benedictine church has also undergone renovations in some of its sections. For instance, the inner facades and capital sculptures have been subjected to considerable restorations.