Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume Attractions
St-Maximin-la-Ste-Baume lies at the northern foot of the Massif de la Ste-Baume in the basin of a dried-up lake, about 50km/31mi northeast of Marseilles and 40km/25mi east of Aix-en-Provence on the A8 autoroute.
The little basin was already settled at the time of the Roman occupation. The town became famous, not only for its church, but also as the place where, it is said, the bones of St Mary Magdalene were discovered.
Mary Magdalene is supposed to have landed by boat at Saintes Maries de la Mer, accompanied by her sister Martha, her brother Lazarus, Maximin, Sidonius, her servant Sara and others, after their expulsion from Palestine. While Maximin and Sidonius went into the country as missionaries, Mary Magdalene, at God's behest, spent 30 years without earthly nourishment as a penitent in a grotto. She was buried, it is said, in a mausoleum, which has been preserved as the crypt of the church. Just as Mary Magdalene represents a synthesis of many Biblical figures (the sinner, Mary of Bethany, Maria of Magdala), so the story of the legend and its sequels is equally strange. In Vézelay in Burgundy Ste Magdalene was worshipped as long ago as the 11th C. It was maintained that her bones had been brought there at the end of the ninth C., from St Maximin. Political quarrels - territorial conflicts, conflicts between Pope and King - caused Charles II of Anjou in 1279 to search for the "real" relics at St Maximin and he was "successful"; four handsome sarcophagi were discovered in the crypt which had apparently been left unprotected by the Saracens. In the controversy over the authenticity of the relics Pope Bonifatius VIII decided in favor of Charles of Anjou; at a stroke Vézelay forfeited its pre-eminence.
The little basin was already settled at the time of the Roman occupation. The town became famous, not only for its church, but also as the place where, it is said, the bones of St Mary Magdalene were discovered.
Mary Magdalene is supposed to have landed by boat at Saintes Maries de la Mer, accompanied by her sister Martha, her brother Lazarus, Maximin, Sidonius, her servant Sara and others, after their expulsion from Palestine. While Maximin and Sidonius went into the country as missionaries, Mary Magdalene, at God's behest, spent 30 years without earthly nourishment as a penitent in a grotto. She was buried, it is said, in a mausoleum, which has been preserved as the crypt of the church. Just as Mary Magdalene represents a synthesis of many Biblical figures (the sinner, Mary of Bethany, Maria of Magdala), so the story of the legend and its sequels is equally strange. In Vézelay in Burgundy Ste Magdalene was worshipped as long ago as the 11th C. It was maintained that her bones had been brought there at the end of the ninth C., from St Maximin. Political quarrels - territorial conflicts, conflicts between Pope and King - caused Charles II of Anjou in 1279 to search for the "real" relics at St Maximin and he was "successful"; four handsome sarcophagi were discovered in the crypt which had apparently been left unprotected by the Saracens. In the controversy over the authenticity of the relics Pope Bonifatius VIII decided in favor of Charles of Anjou; at a stroke Vézelay forfeited its pre-eminence.
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Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume - Ste-Madeleine
Ste-Madeleine was begun in 1295, but saw several waves of building over the next three centuries. The church was also used as a supply camp by Lucien Bonaparte during the French Revolution.
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume Surroundings
St Pilon
From the Carrefour de l'Oratoire the path (part of the GR9, red and white markers) brings the walker in 30 minutes to the summit of St-Pilon (994m/3,262ft) with a splendid view in clear weather (orientation panel); looking inland from Mont Aurélien and the Montagne Ste-Victoire as far as Mont Ventoux, southwards to the sea.
Musical Evenings in Mazauges
(In Tourves, France)
Musical Evenings in Mazauges is a series of four concerts that runs annually from mid-July to late August and includes orchestral and chamber concerts as well as piano recitals given by international artists. All the events take place in the Verdure Theater of the Mazaugues Chateau.
Nans-les-Pins, France
The village of Nans-les-Pins, 12km/7.5mi to the south of St Maximin, lies in the northern foothills of the Chaîne de la Ste-Baume and is dominated by the ruins of a medieval castle.
Nans-les-pins Tourist Office
2 cours Général de Gaulle
F-83860 Nans-les-pins
France
2 cours Général de Gaulle
F-83860 Nans-les-pins
France
Tourves, France
Tourves, at a road junction in an area of intensive agriculture (5km/3mi south-east of St-Maximin), has the impressive remains of the uncompleted Château de Valbelle (18th C.). Nearby there are grottoes with prehistoric paintings.
