Vezelay - La Bourgnone - France To Tenessecowgirl, who asked for a front view. After the Revolution, Vezelay stood in danger of collapse. In 1834 the newly-appointed French inspector of historical monuments, Prosper Merime (more familiar as the author of Carmen), warned that it was about to collapse, and the young architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc was appointed to supervise a massive and successful restoration, undertaken in several stages between 1840 and 1861, during which his team replaced a great deal of the weathered and vadalised sculpture. The start of the decline of Vezelay coincided with the well-publicized discovery in 1279 of the body of Mary Magdalene at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in Provence, given regal patronage by Charles II, the Angevine king of Sicily. When Charles erected a Dominican convent at La Sainte-Baume, the shrine was marvellously found intact, even with an explanatory inscription stating why the relics had been hidden. The local Dominican monks soon compiled an account of miracles that these relics had wrought. This discovery seriously undermined Vezelay's position as the main shrine of Magdalen in Europe. Many thanks for your visit, comments and favorites. Very appreciated.