Notre-Dame de la Garde
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Guard | |
|---|---|
| Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde | |
Notre-Dame de la Garde, seen from the Vieux Port
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Marseille, France |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°17′2.5″N 5°22′16″E / 43.284028°N 5.37111°ECoordinates: 43°17′2.5″N 5°22′16″E / 43.284028°N 5.37111°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| District | Archdiocese of Marseille |
| Year consecrated | 1864 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Minor basilica |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Byzantine Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1853 |
| Completed | 1864 |
Notre-Dame de la Garde (literally Our Lady of the Guard), a Catholic basilica in Marseille, France, is the city's best-known symbol. The site of a popular Assumption Day pilgrimage, it is the most-visited site in Marseille.
Consecrated on 5 June 1864, the Neo-Byzantine church was built by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu on the foundations of an ancient fort at the highest natural point in Marseille, a 149 m (489 ft) limestone outcropping on the south side of the Old Port of Marseille.
The basilica replaced a church of the same name that was built in 1214 and restored in the 15th century. It consists of a lower church or crypt in the Romanesque style, carved from the rock, and an upper church of Neo-Byzantine style decorated with mosaics. A square 41 m (135 ft) bell tower topped by a 12.5 m (41 ft) belfry supports a monumental 11.2 m (37 ft) statue of the Madonna and Child made of copper gilded with gold leaf.
An extensive restoration from 2001 to 2008 included work on mosaics damaged by candle smoke, green limestone from Golfolina corroded by pollution, and stonework hit by bullets during the Liberation of France.
The rocky outcrop upon which the basilica would be built, is an urgonian limestone peak dating from the Barremian and rising to a height of 162 metres. Due to its height and proximity to the coast, the hill became an important stronghold, and observation and lookout point, as well as a landmark for shipping. In 1302 Charles II of Anjou ordered one of his ministers to set beacons along the Mediterranean coast of Provence. One of these beacon sites was the hill of Notre-Dame du Gard.
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