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The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure, known to everyone as La Major, is one of the largest cathedrals built in France since the Middle Ages. Its first stone was laid in 1852 by Louis Napoleon, the future Emperor Napoleon the Third, who wanted a monument worthy of Marseille at the peak of its power as France's great Mediterranean port. The architect Léon Vaudoyer designed a striking Romanesque Byzantine style, fusing Roman solidity with Byzantine domes and striped stone to reflect the city's role as a bridge between Europe and the Orient. Built of marbles and stone shipped from across the sea, it took more than forty years to complete and was finished in 1893.
Wissenswertes
- 1852 year — First stone laid by Louis Napoleon, the future Napoleon the Third
- 1893 year — The cathedral was finally completed after four decades of work
- 142 metres — Its length, with a central dome rising close to seventy metres
📍 Avenue Robert Schuman 1, 13002, Marseille