About the Marseille Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure):
Marseille Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Marseille or Cathédrale de la Major) is the seat of the Archdiocese of Marseille.
It is actually in two parts: the old cathedral and the new cathedral. Part of the earlier 12th century cathedral, built in the Romanesque style, the old cathedral was much smaller. Two bays of the nave were demolished in the 1850s, when the new cathedral was built.
The present cathedral is built on an enormous scale in the Byzantine and Roman Revival styles, as evidenced by the materials used in its construction: white marble from Cararre, green stone from Florence, stone from Calissane and from the Gard, onyx from Italy and Tunisia, mosaics from Venice. It is one of the largest Cathedrals in France. The foundation stone was laid by Emperor Napoleon III in 1852 and the first Mass was held in 1893, three years before its completion, and was consecrated in 1897.
The facade is decorated with statues of Christ, the Apostles, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and the Saints of Provence as well as a bronze statue representing Monsignor ‘De Belsunce’, bishop of Marseille during the plague of 1720.
The facade is adorned with statues of Christ, the Apostles, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Monseigneur de Belsunce, (Bishop of Marseille during the plague of 1720).
The final dimensions of this Cathedral make it one of the largest and most majestic in the world: the total length of the Cathedral is almost 480 feet; the main dome is almost 230 feet high and 55 feet in diameter.
Traveling to the Marseille Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure):
Address: Pl. de la Major, 13002 Marseille, France
Tel: +33 7 72 15 60 10
Click here for the official website of the Archdiocese of Marseille