La Catedral de La Major

The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major is located away from the city center, on an esplanade, between the districts of the Old Port, the Panier, and La Joliette. Known as La Major Cathedral by the people of Marseille, it is just a stone's throw away from the MUCEM and the Fort Saint Jean.

It is one of Marseille's symbols because La Major Cathedral is unique and embodies the city's power. It's the perfect place for prayer in Marseille.

It is the only cathedral built in France in the 19th century. Its spectacular dimensions are similar to those of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, allowing it to accommodate up to 3,000 people! This grandiosity aimed to showcase the power of the Phocaean city, visible from the sea.

Built in a Byzantine style, it is one of the largest churches in France. Its construction spanned 40 years, from 1852 to 1893, at a time when Marseille was the largest port in France and served as a stopover for ships from around the world.

Cathedral of Saint Mary Major : An architectural gem

The Cathedral of La Major is actually composed of two churches that were somewhat superimposed: the old and the new Major. It stands on an esplanade at the entrance to the port and near the base of the original Marseille where religious buildings have succeeded since the 4th century.

The old Major is the oldest church in Marseille. It was built in the 4th century before being rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries following attacks by the Saracens. It is a cathedral of Romanesque architecture built with pink stones from the quarries of La Couronne. It consists of a choir, a vault with a dome, and a half-dome. The bell tower was added later, in the 14th century.

The new Cathedral of La Major, on the other hand, saw its construction begin on September 26, 1852. The first stone was laid by Napoleon III himself! Construction lasted more than 40 years, completing in 1893.

During the construction of the new cathedral, a paleo-Christian baptistery was discovered. It dates back to the 5th century. Square in shape, it includes an altar and is adorned with magnificent mosaics.

La Major combines Roman and Oriental styles, thus opening a cultural door to the East.

It also has bell towers and domes. Once inside, you can admire its unique and majestic architecture: Byzantine arcades, statues, and beautiful mosaics. The materials chosen are commensurate with its grandeur: white Carrara marble, porphyry, Italian and Tunisian onyx, Venetian mosaics, and green stones from Florence.

Under the arcades, 7 statues represent Jesus, surrounded by 3 of his apostles: Peter, Paul, and Lazarus, and 3 of his disciples Martha, Maximin, and Mary Magdalene. Finally, on the esplanade stands the statue of Monseigneur de Belsunce, an emblematic figure of the period of the Great Plague that struck Marseille in 1720.

Several architects succeeded each other throughout the construction. Léon Vaudoyer, the father of historicism, designed the plan in a Latin cross style in a Romano-Byzantine style. In 1872, Henri Esperandieu replaced him, until 1874 when he was himself replaced by Henri Antoine Révoil, who completed the cathedral.

He officially handed over the keys to Monsignor Jean-Louis Robert on November 30, 1893.

The final dimensions of the Cathedral of La Major make it one of the largest cathedrals in the world: 142 meters long, its towers are 60 meters high, its nave is 20 meters wide, and its central dome rises to 70 meters in height and more than 17 meters in diameter. It bears witness to the History of Marseille and was classified as a historic monument in 1906.

Today, you cannot visit Marseille without marveling at La Major.