Marseille and the Old Port

Marseille - Les Isles du Frioul et le Château d'If - views from Notre Dame de la Garde

Marseille is the second largest city in France.  Located on the Mediterranean Sea it has been a port city for centuries. "Massalia" was founded in 600 BC when a visiting Greek sailor fell in love with the Ligurian princess, Gyptis.  Their union helped to create what we now know as Marseille.  So many other cultures and invaders formed the city.  Caesar conquered Marseille in 49BC, in 923 the Saracens pillaged the city, the Aragonese took the city in 1423 and in 1720 the plague killed half of the population.  Today, when you visit you can see remains left by the peoples that helped create this major seaport.

Abbaye Saint Victor -  fortified towers
Virtual tour of the Abbey - Click Here

We started our visit at the Abbaye Saint Victor not far from the old port.  Although we visited the interior, I did not take any pictures because mass was going on. Monastic life was introduced to Marseille by the hermit Jean Cassien in the 5th century.  The church is built on the site ancient tomb where the relics of the martyr Saint Victor were buried. The church has gone through many changes through the centuries.  Parts of the church were built in 1020 and between the 12th and 13th centuries the abbey was built with Roman architecture.  Eventually the structure was fortified and used to defend the port.

 

The entrance to the church

http://lieuxsacres.canalblog.com/archives/2009/06/07/13996320.html

Every year, on February 2nd, there is a procession of the Black Virgin.  Crowds watch as the statue is paraded from the old port back to the church. The archbishop says mass and then visits the local biscuit store where he blesses the famous "navette", boat shaped cookies.

http://blog.francedc.org/navette-recipe/

Navette Oven - Founded in 1781

The oldest bakery in Marseille

I took pictures of what we actually bought.  Almond Macarons!

We left the cookie store with our purchase and continued on our way.  We stopped for lunch in this large square, Cours Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves. 

 I had mussels and Sophia had bbq ribs!

We continued on to the port to see what we could see.  There were lots of boats of all shapes and sizes.  We could see the large Ferris wheel from the distance.  It really is large!

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles

 At the the far end of the port people take advantage of the shade under the Vieux Port Pavilion. The stainless steel surface of the pavilion reflects the images of people passing by.  It also gives you a strange upside down feeling...

 Église Saint-Ferréol - on the vieux port

My child will tell you that when we visit a city or village, if there is a hill, we will go up it.  This is so true!  In the south of France almost every village has a hill with a church on top.  Marseille has a fine example of a church on top of a hill, Notre Dame de la Garde.  

I had to bribe my child with two things to go to this church way on the top of the hill. The first was dessert!  She picked out a non-French brownie.  The second bribe was a ride on the little "train".  Although super touristy, the little train serves its purpose when you are tired and there are hills.  The train took us to see parts of Marseill that we would never have visited on foot.  We rode on the Corniche, a picturesque street that follows the coast.  We saw the Porte de l'Orient - Eastern Gate, a war memorial for the soldiers that died in north Africa and Indochina. 

 Views of Château d'If from the Corniche

 Views from the Corniche

Views from the Corniche

The little train dropped us off at, Notre Dame de la Garde, the church on the top of the hill. We walked around for about an hour and hopped on a train that took us back to the port. 

In 1214 a small chapel was erected on the top of a rocky hill, la Garde, and was called Notre Dame de la Garde.  Because of its commanding position overlooking the city, the port and the islands, King Francis the 1st decided to build a fortress to protect Marseille on the top of the hill.  The Chapel was not destroyed but rather preserved within the walls of the fortress.  Although the chapel was located on military grounds, the public was allowed to go to the church crossing over a drawbridge.  The church as we see it today was built from 1853-1897, a colorful example  of Neo-Byzantine  architecture.

 Notre Dame de la Garde - Statue of the Virgin Mary is 11.2 meters high and weighs 9,796k

Ex-voto - a painting or other object left as an offering in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude.

Collins English Dictionary - Compete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition

Views from Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

Although the church looks enormous, it has an intimate feel inside.  The painting on the walls, the hundreds of ex-votos  and all the model boats hanging from the ceiling tells everyone that this is a sailor's church. For years sailors and their families have been leaving ex-votos at the church. 

We hopped on a train to go back down the hill and have one last stroll around the port.  We took a "ferry" from one side of the port to the other for 50 cents.  It was perfect and we were able to say that we went on a boat!  As usual there is so much more to see in this fabulous city.  We will return with friends this summer and visit the Chateau d'If and discover more beautiful places.