At four hundred sixty-nine feet long, the Cathedral can seat up to three thousand worshipers. Its main cupola is two hundred thirty-one feet high. Serving as the seat of the Archdiocese of Marseilles, the Cathedral la Major is also a National Monument and is considered to be the only one of its kind in all of France, because of its sheer size and opulent architecture. Sitting next to Marseilles ‘ Old Port (which, incidentally, was the first port of France), the Cathedral symbolized the “Gateway to the East”during a time when Marseilles was a trade center to the whole world. France was trying to show off its power so the Cathedral La Major ‘s large dimensions and elaborate architecture was deliberately designed to impress visitors. It still does that to this day.
The largest cathedral in France (with similar dimensions as St. Peter’s in Rome) is the Cathedral of Saint-Marie-Majeure de Marseilles - known locally as “Cathedral La Major.” Originally built in the 12th century, on the same site used for Marseilles’ religious buildings since the 4th century, the current structure was rebuilt on an enormous scale in the Byzantine-Roman -Revival style between 1852 and 1896. This is actually made up of two churches (old and new Major) superimposed on each other. It is located near the Old Port and Fort Sainte Jean, close to the base of original Marseilles. Part of the earlier, and much smaller [referred to as the “Vielle Major” (while “Vielle” literally translates into a bowed string instrument common in medieval times, in this context, it means “Old Major”)] cathedral remains next to the newer structure. At four hundred sixty-nine feet long, the Cathedral can seat up to three thousand worshipers. Its main cupola is two hundred thirty-one feet high. Serving as the seat of the Archdiocese of Marseilles, the Cathedral la Major is also a National Monument and is considered to be the only one of its kind in all of France, because of its sheer size and opulent architecture. Sitting next to Marseilles ‘ Old Port (which, incidentally, was the first port of France), the Cathedral symbolized the “Gateway to the East”during a time when Marseilles was a trade center to the whole world. France was trying to show off its power so the Cathedral La Major ‘s large dimensions and elaborate architecture was deliberately designed to impress visitors. It still does that to this day. Walking past Marseilles’s Old Port and Fort Sainte Jean, we approached the front of Cathedral La Major. It sits in the middle of a large, open plaza, with no buildings around it, to show off its massive size and elegant architecture. The interior is equally impressive. Its decorations and colors are stunning! No Catholic Church would be complete without a statue to the Virgin Mary. Even the side corridors are colorfully decorated. Adding light to the main altar, the two hundred thirty-one high cupola also adds impressive elegance to the Cathedral’s interior. We have always been amazed by the quality of stain glass windows throughout Europe.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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