The best running trails around Arcy-Sur-Cure

The hermitage of La Cordelle is the first Franciscan settlement in France. Located at the foot of the Vézelay hill, the hermitage of La Cordelle is today inhabited by three brothers who live the heart of the Franciscan mission there: fraternity and the attentive welcome of all, believers or not.

This church, dedicated to the Holy Cross (Latin: "Santa Croce"), derives its patronage from the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The veneration of the Holy Cross is largely based on Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (who, after his victory at the Milvian Bridge in Rome, recognized Christianity as a religion and ended the long period of persecution with the Edict of Toleration of Milan in 312). She made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine) in the early fourth century and brought numerous relics back to Europe, including the "True Cross," on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Helena is therefore often depicted with a cross as an attribute. The Church celebrates the Feast of the Discovery, public presentation, and veneration of the Holy Cross—called the "Exaltation of the Holy Cross"—on September 14th.

The Basilica is visible from all sides. There are many walks you can take here.

Very small chapel with a Franciscan monastery. The monastery was only returned a few years ago. The monks are trying to rebuild the monastery through a project

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The small building has a square nave with a barrel vault and a small choir on the east side, also square and with a pointed arch vault. The originality of the chapel lies in its modest Romanesque decor with arcades on columns that brighten the side walls and surround the triple bay of the north facade. The 17th-century southern porch is the remnant of a Franciscan church. The place called La Cordelle, at the foot of the Eternal Hill towards Asquins, marks the spot where Saint Bernard preached the second crusade in 1146. The Romanesque chapel was built in the mid-12th century by the abbot of Vézelay in memory of this great historical event. It is also the site of the first Franciscan monastery in France, founded in 1217 around the chapel. Long forgotten, the chapel is now reoccupied by the Franciscans and open to visitors.

A first stone bridge was built in 1302. In the 17th century, due to lack of maintenance and not being suitable for vehicles, it was destroyed. The current bridge was a big investment. Completed in 1769, this elegant building is remarkable for its "donkey's back" architecture. It has 3 arches of 10 to 13 m. The triangular-shaped bridge piers facilitated the passage of trains of timber. The stone cross on the bridge was erected in 2000. It is a carbon copy of the one that existed before the French Revolution.

Standing in front of the Basilica of Vezelay, turn left and right after the Bible Garden. A small, charming path follows downwards, some of which leads down on cobblestones to the Chapelle de la Cordelle. In the further course you can hike down to Saint-Piérre.