The Cross of Provence is a monument located on the western end of the

Montagne Sainte-Victoire Montagne Sainte-Victoire ( Provençal according to classical orthography and according to Mistralian orthography) is a limestone mountain ridge in the south of France which extends over between the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône and ...

in the

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

department in southern France. The cross was erected on the most prominent western peak of the massif at meters, rather than on the ''Pic des Mouches'', the highest point, at . The current monument is the fourth to be erected, the other three having suffered the ravages of time.''The Cross of Provence'' (''La croix de Provence''), in ''Sainte-Victoire'', éd. Édisud / Association for reforestation and protection of Cengle-Sainte-Victoire, Aix-en-Provence, 1998, p. 93.

First cross

The first cross of Provence was erected in the 16th century by a sailor "on the first mountain he saw" after surviving a shipwreck. The monument was made of wood and had two iron anchors at its base.

Second cross

The second cross was erected in 1785 by Jean Laurans. This cross was similar in appearance to the first, but deteriorated rapidly.

Third cross

Less than 70 years later, in 1842, a third cross was erected. The initiative came from a law student in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

. It was a focus for pilgrimages in Provence, but habitual removal of mementos caused rapid deterioration which, combined with the violence of the mistral lead to its destruction.

Fourth cross

The current cross was built in 1875, on the initiative of the parish priest of Rousset, Father Meissonnier, to ward off two evils:

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

and the aftermath of the

Franco-Prussian war The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870. The cross is high. It overlooks the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Victoire, and a 17th-century priory undergoing restoration. The metal base of the cross contains the names of its subscribers and the 104 donor parishes of the Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and Arles and the Archdiocese of Embrun.« La Croix de Provence »
, Grand site Sainte-Victoire. On May 18, 1875, it was solemnly blessed by the Archbishop of Aix ( Théodore-Augustin Forcade), in the presence of 3,000 faithful. The base contains four inscriptions: * Facing

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: "God very good, very great, O Cross, strength of God and ours, hello! May your light so sweet to hearts that love Jesus, and so merciful to those who, alas, do not love him, shine in the distance”; * Facing

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, in French: "Croix de Provence, blessed by Monsignor Théodore-Augustin Forcade, Archbishop of Aix, Arles and Embrun, May 18, 1875"; * Facing

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: "Here, sailors, your lighthouse, merchants, your gain, workers, your rest and your wealth";.Archbishop Forcade inaugurates the Croix de Provence, L. Bozzetto-Ditto, in ''Deux siècles (Two Centuries of) d'Aix-en-Provence. 1808-2008'', Académie d'Aix éditions, Aix-en-Provence, 2008, p. 116, 117. » * Facing

, in Provençal: “O Croix, salut! Source of eternal light, with the blood of a God, O written testament, Provence at your feet was the first to bow. Protect Provence, O cross of Jesus Christ."

Restoration

The monument was restored for the first time in 1982, then in 2004 when the old plinth was replaced by a stone-coloured, reinforced concrete facing, which forms a 360 degree viewing bench. The 2004 restoration was necessitated by several

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strikes in 2002 and 2003.

References

{{commons category, Croix de Provence

External links

Youtube. Hiking to Montagne Sainte-Victoire : la Croix de Provence by the Shepherd's Way
Landforms of Bouches-du-Rhône Tourist attractions in Aix-en-Provence Tourist attractions in Bouches-du-Rhône Tourist attractions in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur