The town of Vézelay and its Basilica of Mary Magdalene are UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. I had studied the church, especially its capitals, when I was an art history student. They remain as full of life and energy as they were when I fell under their enchantment, in the 1960s.

The village of Vézelay sits high on a hill, on the site of a Roman garrison. First human traces date to 2300 – 2200 BC. Salt was mined there, followed by vineyards from the first century AD. It must have been good Burgundian wine because the Romans created a temple honoring Bacchus.

In the 9th century, the Benedictine monks built a monastery and church at Vézelay. A 10th century monk showed up with “bones from Mary Magdalene,” thus turning the site into a pilgrim destination. Wealth, fame, and power followed. When the pope confirmed the relic’s authenticity, the basilica became one of the starting points for pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important medieval pilgrimage centers. Leaders of the second and third crusades set off for the Holy Land from Vézelay, underlining its significance in Catholic culture.

In the years since, the basilica’s fortunes rose and fell with events in Catholic and French politics. In the mid-19th century, the basilica was returned to its early glory by Viollet le Duc, who also restored Notre Dame in Paris.

The marvelous capitals of the nave were probably carved by artists from Cluny, in Paris. One of the most famous, dubbed “the mystic mill,” depicts Moses feeding grains into a mill to be received as flour by St Paul, symbolizing the link between the New and Old Testaments.

Almost all of the columns portray good guys and bad guys, the latter with most interesting, mesmerizing expressions. Their creators were justifiably proud of their work, and some signed the columns they’d toiled over with a small symbol.

As is often the case, we ate well in Vézelay and recaptured enough energy to visit the nearby home of Vauban, the brilliant engineer for Louis XIV.