Paris1972-Versailles2003

I again found me older pictures from my cd rom vault and, they should be in my blog for you and me, This was on my road warrior trips in the area and were rather quick ; do read my other post on Marseille, For now let me tell you a bit on the magnificent cathedral, glad have found these pictures, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Cathédrale Sainte Marie la Majeure of Marseille !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The old city by the harbor bringing in the civilizations of all Europe and beyond, a melting pot of old nations and new ones. This is Marseille in the dept 13 of Bouches-du-Rhône in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA). Oldest city in France founded in 600 BC as Massalia by Greek fisherman. It has 57 km of coast including 24 km of rocky inlets or calanques, that are just magnificent. It is 119 km from Nîmes, 192 km from Nice, 773 km from Paris, 778 km from Versailles, and 1124 km from my current home, I went there from Paris  Gare de Lyon to Marseille Saint-Charles by TGV train, and from here walk to vieux port and beyond, Also, have come by airplane from Roissy CDG but alas not by car !!

The Cathédrale Sainte Marie la Mayeure aka La Mayor or Saint-Mary the Major Cathedral, , is the seat of the Archbishop of Marseille. It was built in neo-Byzantine style between 1852 and 1893 located in the Joliette district in the 2nd arrondissement, it stands on the Esplanade Jean-Paul II, between Vieux Port or Old Port and the Port of Joliette, on the spot of the ancient cathedral of the 12C, where the Occitan name of “Major” comes from. Its architecture and interior decoration, in marble and porphyry, give it a particular aspect for a religious building. It was erected as a minor basilica by Pope Léon XIII on January 24, 1896, The new Major is one of the rare cathedrals built in France in the 19C, where it had not been built for a century. Built between 1852 and 1893, it was considered one of the largest cathedrals built since the Middle Ages, The Cathedral of the Major has a length of 142 meters; The gantry towers are 60 meters high; The nave rises at 20 meters; The central dome peaks 70 meters for a diameter of 17.5 meters. The choir is surrounded by a very long ambulatory bordered by radiant chapels. The exterior facade is flanked by two towers surmounted by domes. Overlooking the porch vault, which precedes it, runs an architrave gallery connecting the two towers. Under the arcades, we can see a row of seven high statues representing Christ in the center surrounded by the apostles Pierre and Paul, as well as Lazarus, which would have been, according to legend, the first bishop of Marseille ,and his companions , his sister Marthe , Maximin, and Marie-Madeleine, legendary saints of Provence.

My luck to find these pictures of the Chapel Saint-Lazare ,see the shrine containing the patron Saint Lazare and the Virgin and Child, Surrounded by the Knights of Saint-Lazare, guardians of the relics of the patron saint of Marseille, are busy around the altar.

The central dome seen from the transept, in which the weapons of the Counts of Provence appear in the Maison d’Anjou to the right, and the Cross of the Hospitallers of Saint Lazare de Jerusalem to the left, An order from a hospital for the lepers, placed under the invocation of Saint-Lazare, which existed in Jerusalem, outside the walls of the holy city, before the crusades. Welcoming among the lepers the knights of other orders with leprosy, the order became military,

There was a nice statue of Sainte Thérése of Lisieux and could not resist. A beautiful work on an inmense Saint of Normandy, France, and the World.

Three huge spans are the main nave. It is covered by edges on edges, the crossroads of transept and the choir by five domes, on trunk for the first with open octagonal drums of full shot bays, the others on pendants. The lateral naves, pierced in the thickness of the batteries, bear the stands supported by a triple arcature resting on monolithic columns in porphyry with marble capitals of foliage one can admire, in the third span, the group representing Véronique wiping the Face of Jesus fallen to the ground. 50 meters long, the transept gives access by stands, to the wandering around the choir by separating it from the two large side chapels. Seven steps pass from the transept to the sanctuaries on each side, on the left, we access the chapel of the chapter dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and on the right, to the Saint-Lazare Chapel devoted to the Sunday worship for the faithful of the district, The Ambulatory goes around the sanctuary and serves six absidial chapels, two of which received their mosaic coating and their decoration of polychrome marbles. It gives access in his middle to the axial chapel which alone forms as an autonomous space, with its narthex, nave and apse surmounted by its dome on trumpets decorated with angel busts. Primarily dedicated to the Virgin, this chapel currently collects the tomb of Saint Eugène de Mazenod bishop of Marseille and founder of the Oblates of Marie-Immaculate, missionaries present in the five parts of the world, canonized by Pope John Paul II on December 3, 1995,

A bit of history I like tell us that since the 5C, several religious buildings have followed this location. The current cathedral, the new major, rises to the west of the vestiges of the former Romanesque cathedral, the old major. But the destruction and foundations necessary for the establishment of the new cathedral revealed the existence of a third paleochretian church and the largest baptistery of Gaul established on the same site. From the primitive cathedral, there is not much left. The old major was built in the 12C in Romanesque style. It was to be destroyed to allow the construction of the new cathedral but, in the face of protests, the choir and a span was preserved, The construction of a new cathedral was undertaken in 1852 ,it was Prince-President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte who in laying the first stone on September 26, 1852. With its alternately green and white stones apparatus, this Byzantine inspiration cathedral juxtaposes Romanesque, and Gothic elements. The cathedral forms an extraordinary architectural whole, which had no equivalent throughout the 19C. The construction lasts 40 years and, today, the coatings planned for vaults and domes are not all completed. Erected as a minor basilica on January 24, 1896 by Pope Léon XIII, and devoted on May 6, 1897.

The Parish Notre Dame la Mayor on the Cathedral : https://notredamedelamajor.fr/cathedrale/

The Marseille tourist office on the Cathedral Sainte Marie la Majeure: https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/decouvrez-marseille/culture-et-patrimoine/sites-et-monuments/la-cathedrale-de-la-major/

The city of Marseille on the Cathedral Sainte Marie la Majeure: https://www.marseille.fr/culture/patrimoine-culturel/la-cath%C3%A9drale-sainte-marie-majeure

There you go folks, but believe enough to tell you Marseille should be in your travel plans; it’s a vibrant city, and if stayed around the Vieux Port is a magical experience. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Cathédrale Sainte Marie la Majeure of Marseille !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!