Abbaye St-Victor

Abbaye St-Victor Review

Founded in the fourth century by St-Cassien, who sailed into Marseille's port full of fresh ideas on monasticism acquired in Palestine and Egypt, this church grew to formidable proportions. With its Romanesque design, this church would be as much at home in the Middle East as its founder was. By far the best reason to come is the crypt, St-Cassien's original, which lay buried under the medieval church's new structure. In evocative nooks and crannies you can find the fifth-century sarcophagus that allegedly holds the martyr's remains. Upstairs, look for the reliquary containing what's left of St. Victor himself, who was ground to death between millstones, probably by Romans. There's also a passage into tiny catacombs where early Christians worshipped St-Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, said to have washed ashore at Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer. The boat in which they landed is reproduced in canoe-shaped cookies called navettes, which are sold during the annual procession for Candelmas in February as well as year-round.