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France›Yonne›Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

VézelayYonne

A town of 476 in Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

Population
476
INSEE, census 2023 · commune
Rent
€7.41
per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²
Median income
€18,240
a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970
Walk, cycle, transit
29%
of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Vézelay a good place to live?

Vézelay is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.

What makes Vézelay stand out

The 2 things Vézelay does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
31%2%VézelayMedianSecond homes, share of all homes
Homes
31% are second homes
of all homes, against 2% in the median compared French town
Source: INSEE, census 2023.
33%22%VézelayMedianResidents 65 and over
Who lives here
33% are 65 or over
of residents, against 22% in the median compared French town
Median age 56.8. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
Château abbatial (ancien)
Château abbatial (ancien) · Classé · Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vézelay’s story

Vézelay in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Vézelay: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 7 inscrit (the second level).

The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century, and the first monument here was protected in 1840, on France’s very first list.

Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1993.

67% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

  • 1840First protected: Église de la Madeleine
  • 1993The protected historic area is created
  • 2021Most recently protected: Maison Zervos dite « La Goulotte »
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine and 17 more in and around Vézelay

Other places to visit, museums and heritage in and near Vézelay. Best known first.

All attractions →
AttractionAttractionBasilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleinein townChâteauChâteauChâteau abbatial de Vézelayin townFortFortEnceinte de Vézelayin townMuseumMuseumMusée Zervosin townArt galleryArt galleryAtelier Or Et Lumierein townMuseumMuseumÉcomuséein town
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Vézelay.

Who lives here

Fewer children live in Vézelay than in Yonne’s towns or compared French towns: 8.6% are under 15

For Vézelay, that is below both Yonne’s towns (15%) and compared French towns (17%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 6.2% of residents.

56.8median age
VézelayYonne medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma14%
CAP or BEP13%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education51%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

About 95 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Yonne 52.2%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Vézelay
VézelayYonne medianFrance median
Under 158.6%15%17%
15–246.2%10%11%
25–4414%20%23%
45–6438%25%26%
65+33%28%22%
No diploma14%26%19%
CAP or BEP13%30%26%
Baccalauréat17%16%18%
Higher education51%21%30%
Full pageVézelay’s Who lives here pageOpen the page
Ages56.8 median age · 33% are 65 or overHouseholds190 households · 1.9 people per householdBorn abroad9.3% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birthQuestions“What is the population of Vézelay?”

INSEE, census 2023 · Yonne median and France median: the median of compared communes

History

Old homes shape Vézelay: 67% were built before 1919, more than in Yonne’s towns or compared French towns

France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.

Vézelay sits above both Yonne’s towns (14%) and compared French towns (7.4%) on this measure. Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1993. The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Vézelay: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 7 inscrit (the second level).

11historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé4
Inscrit7
12th c.
oldest protected part
1840
first monument protected
1993
protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable)
67%
of homes built before 1919 · median town 7.4%
Full pageVézelay’s history pageOpen the page
Age of homes67% built before 1919 · Older homesMap11 historic monumentsClassé4 classé · France’s highest protectionQuestions“How many historic monuments are there in Vézelay?”

Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period

Work & commute

Unemployment in Vézelay, 3.6%, runs below Yonne’s towns and compared French towns

That puts Vézelay below both Yonne’s towns (13.8%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Vézelay has 350 jobs for 150 working residents, 2.2 per worker. The median disposable income is €18,240 a year per consumption unit.

29%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving50%
On foot17%
Public transport11%
Motorbike or scooter3%
Bicycle1%
350
jobs based in Vézelay, 2.2 per working resident
3.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€18,240
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
19%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
Full pageVézelay’s work & commute pageOpen the page
Jobs based here350 jobs based here · 2.2 per working residentGetting to work29% walk, cycle or take transitMedian income€18,240 a year · Median income per consumption unit

Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Housing

Renting in Vézelay costs less than in Yonne’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €7.41/m² a month

Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.

On this, Vézelay is below both Yonne’s towns (€10.29/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).

€7.41/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Vézelay€7.41/m²
Median of towns€12.41/m²
Yonne median€10.29/m²
€7.41/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€5.93 to €9.25/m² a month)
€7.02/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
Full pageVézelay’s cost of living pageOpen the page
Renting€7.41/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Vézelay

12pages on Vézelay
The big questions
Health4 GPs · nearest emergency department 8.2 mi awayWork & commute350 jobs based hereHousing13 sales on record, the last three yearsFlood & hazards
Out and about
Outdoors100% of the commune is protected natureAttractions6 places to visit mapped in townClimateWeather
The story
Who lives hereMedian age 56.8History11 historic monumentsTown HallFamous people4 notable people born here

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Vézelay: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 7 inscrit (the second level).

All monuments →
Ancienne enceinte de la villeTown walls · 12th & 14th c.
Église de la MadeleineChurch · 12th c.
Chapelle de la CordelleChapel
église Saint-Étienne (ancienne)Church · 12th & 17th c.
Photo credits

Ancienne enceinte de la ville: Photo: Pymouss · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église de la Madeleine: Photo: DKrieger · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chapelle de la Cordelle: Photo: Ibex73 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · église Saint-Étienne (ancienne): Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Famous people from Vézelay

4 notable people were born in Vézelay.

See all 4 →
T
Théodore de BèzeFrench Reformed Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar…
A
Alfred NasouskyFrench architect (1864-1943)
G
Gaston CarréFrench politician (1905-1942)
G
Georges-Edme RenéFrench catholic priest · ?–1794

Vézelay’s neighbors

The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Yonne →
AvallonClamecyAvallonClamecyVézelay
How the neighbors grade
TownPeopleMilesOverallCostSafetyHealth
Vézelay476—————
Avallon6,3058.4B−A−D−C
Clamecy Nièvre3,54410CA+D−C−

People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.

About Vézelay

Commune in Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Vézelay is a commune of 476 people in the Communauté de communes Avallon, Vézelay, Morvan. TownRatings compares communes, France’s local unit: each has its own mayor and its own statistics. Its area takes in the town and the countryside around it.

Built from INSEE’s 2026 official geography (COG) and IGN Admin Express boundaries

Population
476 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Avallon, Vézelay, Morvan
Département
Yonne (89)
Région
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Area
8.5 sq mi (22 km²)
INSEE code
89446

Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated October 30, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).

Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.