The Basilica minor Notre Dame de la Garde of Marseille !!!

Posted in Europe, France

I again found me an older paper picture that should be in my blog even if quality may not be the best, 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 basilica, glad have found this picture, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Basilica minor Notre Dame de la Garde 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.  The city lies in the department 13 Bouches-du-Rhône in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. 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.

The Basilica minor Notre-Dame de la Garde or simply Notre-Dame de la Garde, often nicknamed “The good mother” is dated from the 19C. An emblem of Marseille, dedicated to Notre-Dame de la Garde, it dominates the city and the Mediterranean Sea from the summit of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde hill, it is located on the districts of Roucas-Blanc and Vauban, on a limestone piton of 149 meters raised altitude of 13 meters thanks to the walls and foundations of an old fort. It was built in the Romano-Byzantine style and consecrated on June 5, 1864, it replaced a chapel of the same name built in 1214 and rebuilt in the 15C. Built on the ruins of a 16C fort built by François Ier in 1536 to withstand the siege of Charles V, the basilica has two parts: a low church, or crypt, dug in the rock and of a Romanesque style, and above a high-style Romano-Byzantine-style church decorated with mosaics. At the top of a 41-meter-high square bell tower itself surmounted by a 12.5 meter turret which serves as a pedestal, stands a monumental statue of 11.2 meters from the Virgin and Child made in golden copper with a leaf , There is a museum, inaugurated on June 18, 2013, presents the 800 years of history of the basilica with several dozen ex-voto accumulated over the centuries, in the form of models, some of which are suspended, marble plates or paintings, As well as engravings, works of art, such as earthenware announcement of the Florentine workshop of della Robbia or a bust of dolorosa of the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, etc.

Marseille bas Notre Dame de la Garde front bas c2008

As usual , the French revolution was very disruptive here,On April 30, 1790 the Fort was invaded by revolutionaries who, on the pretext of attending a Mass in the chapel, crossed the Pont-Levis , On November 23, 1793 religious buildings were disused and worship ceases. On March 13, 1794, after inventory, the silver statue of the Virgin produced in 1661, was sent to the Hôtel des Monnaies de Marseille to be melted, and valuables, or objects of worship, paintings even hundreds of ex-voto, divided by lots of 20 pieces sold at auction. In April 1793, the Duke of Orleans Philippe Egalité, his two sons the Duke of Montpensier and the Duke of Beaujolais, his sister Louise Duchess of Bourbon and the Prince of Conti were imprisoned a few weeks at Notre-Dame de la Garde before their transfer at Fort Saint-Jean. The last auction of objects belonging to the sanctuary took place on April 10, 1795, On April 4, 1807 ,the sanctuary was returned to worship and opened to the public , A new silver statue of the Virgin de la Garde was made in 1837

Some events happening here which I like are : Louis XIII during his stay in Marseille, went to horseback despite the rain in Notre-Dame de la Garde on November 9, 1622 , In 1701 the Dukes of Burgundy and Berry, grandsons of Louis XIV, climbed to the sanctuary , The duchess of Berry escaping a shipwreck by returning from Naples, climbed to the chapel on June 14, 1816 and pose a silver statuette as ex-voto, The duchess of Angoulême, daughter of Louis XVI climbed to Notre-Dame de la Garde on May 15, 1823 , day of very strong mistral winds. Despite a violent wind, the duchess wished to stayed on the terrace to enjoyed the beauty of the landscape, In 1838 the Virgin de la Garde had another brand visitor: Chateaubriand , The Pope Francisco visited Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica on September 22, 2023

Another historic event that happened here and I thank them was on August 24, 1944, General de Monsabert commanded General Sudre to seize the hill of Notre-Dame de la Garde whose rocks were riddled with nazis casemates. But his orders are formal: “No aerial bombardment, no massive artillery employment. This legendary pebble should be carried away by infantrymen supported by armored vehicles it is notable that in a cosmopolitan city like Marseille, its Basilica, Catholic, was released by Muslim soldiers from the African army, treated by the ‘Bishop of Marseille, Mgr Jean Delay.

The Marseille tourist office on the basilica:https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/discover-marseille/culture-heritage/discover-the-sites-and-monuments-in-marseille/notre-dame-de-la-garde-basilica/

The site on the Basilica Notre Dame de la Garde : https://notredamedelagarde.marseille.fr/

The city of Marseille on the basilica: https://www.marseille.fr/culture/patrimoine-culturel/notre-dame-de-la-garde

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 Basilica minor Notre Dame de la Garde of Marseille !!! as I

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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