Founded in 415 AD by John Cassian, the monk who introduced the monastic life to Marseilles, the Abbey of St. Victor was one of two such religious structures in the city ( the other being the Abbey of St. Sauver). Legends state that St. Victor had been a Roman army officer who was martyred in 303 AD for his Christian beliefs. Artifacts found within the abbey’s crypt indicated the presence of a former quarry on the site, as well as a cemetery, dating from 2 BC onwards. Following St. Victor’s martyrdom, his body was secreted in a cave that was part of the quarry. The monastery was built over this site.
The abbey suffered damage from a number of invasions by the Vikings and the Saracens, eventually being destroyed, once in 838 AD and again in 923 AD. BY 977 AD, the abbey had been restored.
Saint Isarn, a Catalan monk, began a new construction of the abbey in 1020 AD. Because the Abbey of St. Victor had a strong relationship with both Spain and Sardinia, (as well as owning property in Syria), it had developed into an important economic influence during the Middle Ages.
From the early to the mid-14th century, Pope Urban V enlarged the abbey, surrounding it with crenellated walls (making it look more like a Medieval castle than a monastery). By the early 16th century, however, its influence began to decline, partly due to the loss of its library’s rich ancient manuscripts. These had been dispersed by Abbott Giuliamo di Pierfronips de Medici, in order to please Catherine de Medici.
During the plague of 1720. The monks barricaded themselves behind the walls of the abbey, instead of giving assistance to the ill. As a result, Pope Benedict XIII, secularized the. Monastery, converting it into a collegiate church. The last Abbott died in 1787 and was not replaced before the French Revolution. By 1794, the abbey was stripped of its treasures and the building became a warehouse, prison, and barracks.
Today, all that remains of the original abbey is the church of St. Victor which was dedicated by Pope Benedict IX in 1040 and rebuilt in 1200.
The abbey suffered damage from a number of invasions by the Vikings and the Saracens, eventually being destroyed, once in 838 AD and again in 923 AD. BY 977 AD, the abbey had been restored.
Saint Isarn, a Catalan monk, began a new construction of the abbey in 1020 AD. Because the Abbey of St. Victor had a strong relationship with both Spain and Sardinia, (as well as owning property in Syria), it had developed into an important economic influence during the Middle Ages.
From the early to the mid-14th century, Pope Urban V enlarged the abbey, surrounding it with crenellated walls (making it look more like a Medieval castle than a monastery). By the early 16th century, however, its influence began to decline, partly due to the loss of its library’s rich ancient manuscripts. These had been dispersed by Abbott Giuliamo di Pierfronips de Medici, in order to please Catherine de Medici.
During the plague of 1720. The monks barricaded themselves behind the walls of the abbey, instead of giving assistance to the ill. As a result, Pope Benedict XIII, secularized the. Monastery, converting it into a collegiate church. The last Abbott died in 1787 and was not replaced before the French Revolution. By 1794, the abbey was stripped of its treasures and the building became a warehouse, prison, and barracks.
Today, all that remains of the original abbey is the church of St. Victor which was dedicated by Pope Benedict IX in 1040 and rebuilt in 1200.
The Medieval Abbey of St. Victor, built over a crypt, sits over a 2nd century BC quarry, overlooking the entrance to Marseilles’ Old Port.
The main entrance to the church is at the base of the tower of St. Isarn, an 11th century monk.
An 1891 print showing the Abbey of St.Victor across the harbor.
The.Church of St. Victor is all that remains of the abbey (along with the crenellated walls).
While most of the abbey’s treasures were dispersed by the Medicis in the 16th century, a few remnants are on display.
A bridge over the crypts affords a view of what waits below. The crypt contains several rooms and chapels.
Discovered in 1970, this sarcophagus of the monk Arduius dates to circa 400 AD.
This whole area seemed huge, indicating what lengths the early Christians had to go through to hide their beliefs.
One of the chapels within the crypt area.
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