The Franciscan hermitage of La Cordelle is a place that bears witness to nearly a thousand years of faith and spirituality. However, it’s surprisingly anchored in the present despite its centuries of age, and its occupants are determined to look to the future.
It’s located in Vézelay (slightly northeast of the center of France), on the flank of the hill where an eternal Romanesque basilica stands like a queen. The hermitage has been inhabited by Franciscans since 1217, the first foundation of the Franciscans in France.
A frequent stop for pilgrims
Today, only three brothers continue to live within the walls of this hermitage, faithful to the Rule of Francis of Assisi. However, in recent years it has seen a significant increase in visitors: around 30,000 visitors a year. From May to October, an average of 150 people a day come to La Cordelle, and up to 15 pilgrims are blessed each morning before setting off for Santiago de Compostela or Assisi.
Faced with this new vitality and the cramped conditions of their living quarters, the brothers have decided to embark on a restoration and renovation project for the hermitage, which began in September.
Renewing the ancient hermitage
The two-year project is divided into three parts: the renovation of the electric system of the community buildings (cells, community hall, cloister, etc.); the restoration of the Sainte-Croix chapel, its 12th-century crypt, and the portal of the former convent church (17th century), all of which are classified as historic monuments; and the construction of a new building for meetings and hospitality.
This last part is intended to create a buffer zone between the life of the hermitage and outside visitors, guaranteeing the Franciscan friars their life of solitude and prayer while allowing them to welcome and offer hospitality. Estimated at around €2 million ($2.3 million), the project is 70% funded by donations received via the Fondation des Monastères and 20% by public subsidies (DRAC and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region). The remainder is covered by the Franciscan Province of France-Belgium, which is guaranteeing the project.
A sign of the dynamism of this place of prayer, La Cordelle is preparing to welcome new brothers in the coming years. After more than 15 years without new vocations, there have been three temporary professions and they have two postulants.
“There’s a real desire to think about the future,” says Emilie Rey, communications officer for the Franciscans of France-Belgium. “This project is a recognition of the relevance of St. Francis' charism today. There are many people who visit this place and who, in a fast-paced world, come here to pause and pray.”
Reaching beyond the Church
This charism touches many people, including those outside the Catholic circle, both “people who are very far from the faith, others who have been immersed in it since birth, different sensibilities...,” notes Emilie.
Marion is one of those who has been touched by La Cordelle, even though she doesn’t necessarily consider herself a believer. “I didn't grow up in a Catholic environment at all. I came here a bit by chance, even though I knew Francis of Assisi well from my history studies. I was touched by La Cordelle,” recalls the thirty-something.
"First of all, there’s the purity and simplicity of the architecture, but also everything that you experience there through friendship and brotherhood. There, I’m free to be who I am with the brothers, I don't need to play a role.”
It was after discovering La Cordelle that Marion underwent what she calls her ”transformation," in other words, her professional retraining in masonry and stone cutting. Five years after her first visit, Marion now finds herself volunteering on the construction site. “Its an act of friendship,” she says.
Although the hermitage’s daily life is likely to be somewhat disrupted by the construction site, the La Cordelle community is optimistic. "It will certainly be a sacrifice for us, between the noise and the temporarily reduced living space... But I believe it’s the Lord who is asking this of us, given the small signs that have been sent to us,“ says Brother Eric with a smile.
”We would like everything to be completed by October 3, 2026, when we’ll commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis,“ the brother adds. “It would be a wonderful birthday present."
