|
Things to do in Marseille
-
Cathedrale de la Major
The Marseille Cathedral, or more
properly, the Cathedrale de la Major is found in Marseille,
France, where it is a Roman Catholic cathedral and national
monument, being a basilica minor since 1896. It was the Diocese
of Marseille until 1948 when it became an Archdiocese. This
cathedral was constructed from 1852 until 1896 in the huge
scaled Byzantine-Roman architectural style on the same site that
has been used to house the cathedrals of this marvelous city,
since the 5th century. The main architects were Leon Vaudoyer
and Henri-Jacques Esperendieu. A few buildings survived the
demolition of the earlier cathedral, the Veille Major, that
stand close to the present Nouvelle Major cathedral, but they
are dwarfed by the magnificence and grandeur of the newer
structure. In the northwest section of the older part of
Marseille, set on a terrace, and just a bit higher than the port
installations, the cathedral rises with two domed towers and a
53 foot high dome over the crossing. There are alternating
courses of green and white limestone, covering the length of
this majestic 463 foot monstrosity that is the biggest
ecclesiastical structure from the 19th century. The inside is
beautified with mosaics and marble, with an expansive crypt that
holds the tombs of the Bishops of Marseille. Altars from the
12th and 15th centuries adorn the interior, with exotic
earthenware that was made at the Della Robbia workshop.
-
Palais et Parc Longchamp
The Longchamp Palace is a
grand monument that sits alongside the boulevard du
Jardin-Zoologique in Marseille, France and has three main
sections. The main or center building was created to commemorate
the building of the canal in Marseille, the east wing contains
the Musee des Beaux-Arts, and the west wing houses the museum of
natural history. The front of the magnificent structure is
graced by a spectacular fountain, with four big bulls and three
women; representing grapes/vines, wheat/fertility and the
Durance River. Just beyond the women, inside the main structure,
a man made grotto is beautifully decorated with carved nymphs
and stalactites. Underneath the women, and the bulls, water runs
out into a secondary pond and into the main pond. Once the water
comes out of the main pond, it goes underground into pipes that
feed 12 elaborate bronze fountains that line a waterfall type of
construction in front. The park, Parc Longchamp is one of the
municipal parks in the city that encompasses the palace, which
is home to the city's museum of fine arts. Listed in the French
ministry of culture as one of the notable gardens of the
country. The park itself is centered around the chateau d'eau
and fountains, celebrating the water that came into Marseille by
the new canal as it flowed from the Durance River. The garden
behind the palace is called the Jardin du plateau and is what is
called a classical garden a la francaise. Inside it, is a
wonderful English landscaped garden containing marvelous old
trees like the plane tree tree that is 150 years old, a Siberian
elm that is 120 years old and a green oak that is also 120 years
old. There used to be a zoo here, from the 19th century, but it
closed in 1987, although there are numerous remnants that are
statuesque in themselves, like the oriental pavilion that held
the elephants and giraffes, and intricately ornamented cages
that were built using Turkish tiles, and a number of bear cages
and seals dens that had been decorated with rocaille or
rock-work.
-
Musee de Docks Romains
The museum of Roman docks
found in the 2nd district of Marseille, France is one of the
last remnants of a commercial warehouse for the ancient Romans
in the world. It was during reconstruction of older
neighborhoods, in 1947, that had been destroyed by bombs from
the Germans, that these ancient docks were discovered, and these
are one of the few commercial warehouses that belonged to the
Romans known to the world. Fernand Benoit, an archaeologist and
historian who was well known, intervened, so that these
magnificent artifacts could be preserved. It opened in 1963, and
was restored in 1987, with 30 dolia, or big clay jars used by
the Romans to hold various items. Inside the main area, sinks
and walls that belonged to medieval houses have been identified.
The dolia are large vessels used by the Romans to hold various
items, mainly agricultural in nature, like wine, oil, and
grains. During the older ages, they would be set next to a
vineyard by the presses for reception of the oil or wine. When
these dolia were found, archaeologists thought that they had
been used to store grain, and were big enough to hold up to 1800
to 2000 liters of liquid or solids. They were put into the
ground, up to their necks and covered over with clay covers and
coated with resin to seal them. Since they were in the ground,
they were protected from variations in temperatures and could
store items for a decent amount of time. Producing them took
some care, and they were cooked wherever they were made, and
after drying and firing, minute cracks could appear, which were
then repaired carefully. During the excavations, there were many
fantastic discoveries made and superb relics found many dating
back to the third century B.C.
|
