it was founded in the 860s in the great cultural and artistic revival of the french emperor charlemagnevikings burned it in the violent 9th and 10th centuries. western europe was assailed on every side by slavs, magyars, saracens, and vikings. many people thought that christian civilization itself might not pull through. in response, powerful dynasties built great strings of fortresses in which their beleaguered populations could shelter. in the 1100s, europe turned the corner suddenly, as if the passing of the millennium was the release. we see a dramatic revival in the use of monumental sculpture and large-scale architecture such as had only been glimpsed in the previous centuries. the cult of saints and the passion for pilgrimage to their shrines were dominant features of medieval culture. one of the most famous was the pilgrimage to stiago in spain. the church was believed to house a sacred rel of christendom-- the bones of saint james, santiago in spanish, one of christ's 12 apostles. from atop the tower at vezelay, you can still make out the old way of saint james, winding its way