The Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde is without exaggeration the most visited attraction of French Marseille. The Catholic temple stands on a high hill, so it is visible from almost everywhere. The monastery was built in the mid-18th century on the site of a former chapel and has been one of the main pilgrimage sites in Marseille ever since. It is particularly crowded on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed V irgin Mary, held each year on August 15. An 11-meter gilded statue of the V irgin Mary with a child adorns the top of the cathedral's already imposing bell tower.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde is considered the guardian of the city and affectionately called the "Good Mother".
The cathedral was built in 1853-1864 in the Neo-Byzantine style by architect Henri-Jacques Esperandier. The building was built on the foundations of an ancient fortress on the highest point of the city, a limestone hill. This makes the cathedral one of Marseille's most notable landmarks. On June 5, 1864, the basilica was consecrated. Prior to that Notre-Dame de la Garde was called a chapel, built in 1214 and rebuilt into a church in 1536.
The crypt of the basilica is carved out of the rock and in the Romanesque style; the upper temple has neo-Byzantine features and is decorated with mosaics.
The exterior of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica was decorated with materials of contrasting shades: white Calissan limestone and green stone. Those wishing to ascend the terrace in front of the basilica must walk up a wide stone staircase, and the church itself can be accessed by a small lift bridge.
The cathedral itself is an amazing combination of different architectural volumes: the bell tower and portico, the nave with side chapels, the dome, the transept, the choir and the apse.
If we talk about the interior decoration of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica, here we see a striking contrast between the crypt, which is made rather modestly, and the upper church, decorated with luxurious mosaics and marble in white and red colors.
Particular attention should be paid to the mosaics, its total size - about 1200 square meters, created this splendor for 6 years by craftsmen of the city of Nîmes. Some pieces were made in Venice, and they are about 10,000. Under the feet of visitors are the floors of mosaics with geometric patterns.
One of the features in the Basilica of Marseilles are the tablets of thanks that sailors brought as gifts to the V irgin Mary. Most of them date from the 19th century, the previous ones were lost during the Revolution. There is something else of interest: under the vaults of the upper church hang garlands of model airplanes and ships.
This 4K Marseille video walk was reordered in October 20222.
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16 сен 2024
