Strolling around Notre-Dame de la Garde (Part 3 of 3)

On February 24, 1815, the lookout at Notre-Dame de la Garde signaled the arrival of the three-master Pharaon, coming from Smyrna, Trieste and Naples.  As usual, a coastal pilot immediately left the port, sailed hard by the Chateau d'If, and boarded the ship between the Cap de Morgiou and the island of Riou.

Based on my brief visit, the first line of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo sets up a most fitting illustration of Marseilles, France, and the historical significance of the two most impressive sites I strolled through this weekend.  The latter can be found in yesterday's account, French Alcatraz, and the former will be explored today.

Notre-Dame de la Garde.  The bronze statue atop the basilica stands over 33 feet tall and weighs over 8,000 kilograms.

Situated to the south of the city's center and port, "La Garde" hill overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the jagged southern coastline of France's Provence region.  Throughout history, and specifically since Marseilles' inclusion into France in the 15th Century, the hill has played a key strategic role for the city's defenders.  In 1214, it also began to play a religious one.  That year, the city's abbot commissioned the building of a small chapel which was later given the title, "Notre-Dame" (Our Lady) de la Garde.

Notre-Dame de la Garde was one of the more impressive sites I've visited this year.  In fact - if pressed - I'd say it hits 9 / 10 of my non-scientific categories for rating tourist sites.  Receiving "full marks" are: Price, Ease of Visit, Historical Significance, Exterior Design, Interior Design, Quality of Artifacts, Uniqueness and Overall Artistic Quality.  Size and Current Significance get 1/2-mark apiece.

Price: 1/1.  You can't beat "free" for multiple panoramic views of the city and the coast, admission to a small museum, the basilica, its crypt and permission to walk around most of the hilltop fortress!

Ease of Visit: 1/1.  Getting up to the basilica was the hardest part of the trip.  Starting about 150 meters below the summit at the old port, I was pretty sweaty when I arrived to the basilica; however, I could've taken a bus or small tour trolley for a handful of Euros.  Once there, no queues or admissions fees made getting in and out of the cathedral easy.  Inside, the church's quaint size made getting around even easier.

Historical Significance: 1/1.  Both historically significant for religious and security purposes, the Notre Dame de la Garde gets its name from the hill, "La Garde" (The Guardian), that it's perched upon.  Prior to the basilica's beginning in 1214, Marseillas protecting the city would light fires to show an absence of danger and extinguish them into think plumes of smoke to alert of invaders.  Even during World War II, soldiers used the hill as an artillery and observation position.

Exterior Design: 1/1.  Described as Neo-Byzantine, the minor basilica's exterior was a mix of green and pale limestone that reminded me of the Lebanese-influenced interior of the Mezquita in Cordoba.  Marked with mosaics around the entrances as well as the huge bronze statue of "Our Lady," the exterior was a grand site.

The basilica stands 41 meters tall and the diameter of baby Jesus' wrist atop it is 1.1 meter.

Veronica wiping the face of Christ.

A mosaic atop one of the entrances (approximately 5' x 3')

Interior Design: 1/1.  Despite the size of the monumental statue atop the basilica, the interior was the most impressive part of the cathedral for many reasons.  First, the precision and quality of the mosaic work within the cupolas and chapels was some of the best I've seen; they were as good as the Vatican's Saint Peter's Basilica but lacked its scale and were on about the same size as Volobulis' and Faro's Roman floor mosaics but much more stylistically impressive and better maintained.  The use of color created a vibrant feeling, and the lines of ships hanging from the ceilings felt appropriate for a port town.

Saint Peter's Basilica, The Vatican.  Part of the huge mosaic covering the inner main cupola.  Not as colorful as Notre-Dame's but much larger.

Volobulis, Meknes, Morocco: One of the Roman mosaics, partially maintained but sun-bleached and incomplete.

Faro, Portugal: In the Municipal Museum, this Roman mosaic depicts the god Oceanus.  Like the Moroccan example, this one is also incomplete and faded.

Notre-Dame: The high alter sits bottom center under arches that resemble Cordoba's Mezquita.  However, there were no "double arches" here.

Mezquita, Cordoba, Spain: The inner catholic church was surrounded by a mosque whose foundation was supported by a series of double arches whose color pattern was quite similar to Notre-Dame's interior.

The lighting in the crypt danced well with its central figure, the statue of Mary with a bouquet.

Two and a half cupolas.  Around each hemisphere, four smaller circular mosaics depict scenes from the bible, including: Noah's Ark, Jacob's Ladder, the Burning Bush and the Tablets of the Law.

Hanging from the ceiling, two of the four lines of ships representing the significance of the sea.

Quality of Artifacts: 1/1.  Each of the statues, alters and everything between seemed to have some historical or artistic significance.  In the crypt, a wooden statue of Christ is the only object remaining from the old chapel (pre-18th Century).  Next to it are three works from regional sculpture, Bruno Marlot.  Situated above the high alter, The Silver Statue - representing Mary holding a baby Jesus - replaced an original that was stolen in 1794 by French Revolutionists.

Uniqueness: 1/1.  Given the basilica's impressive size (over 40 meters tall topped by a statue weighing over 16,000 kilograms) and the fact that it sits on a hilltop to over-watch the city, the cathedral;s secondary purpose is quite unique. Between its Neo-Byzantine design, quality mosaics and nautical tributes, the cathedral's exterior and interior are atypical of most religious sites that I've recently visited.

Overall Artistic Quality: 1/1.  Everything, as mentioned before, was top-notch and well-balanced and maintained.

Size: .5/1.  Sitting high above the city, the basilica looks larger than it is.  Inside, only a couple hundred parishioners can fit in the chapel.  Regarding size, there's no comparison to Sevilla's Cathedral, Saint Peter's Basilica or even Ghent's Saint Bavos.  However, the prominence it plays within the city's skyline make up for it's "minor basilica" status.

Current Significance: .5/1.  Though you could disagree with my rationale here, the basilica's role has diminished over the centuries.  With tourism and symbolism replacing security, observation and defense as the secondary and tertiary purposes of the site, the basilica's current role in the city has lost a little of its grandeur to me.

Notre-Dame de la Garde was a great, short visit.  A few other sites from Marseilles weren't as historically significant but still photogenic:

The morning fish market.  About 30 tables displayed the morning's catch for shoppers...

...and young fishermen.

Fortress of Saint Nicholas was one of four defensive positions, along with Fortress Des Jean, Chateau D'If and the Notre-Dame fortress.

The Old Port was tourist central.

  I enjoyed my time strolling around the city more than others!