The Church.

The Saint-Maximin Basilica is the only large gothic church in Provence. In the 13th Century, Provence was a State separate from France, governed by the Counts of Provence.

Louis IX, King of France, canonized in 1297, made a pilgrimage to the Sainte-Baume (Holy Grotto) upon his return from a Crusade in 1254. He was surprised at the lack of affection shone for Saint Mary Magdalene by the Provençal people and by the fact that no trace of her relics could be found. His nephew was Charles II of Anjou, Count of Provence, but also – and especially – King of Naples and Sicily, a title coveted by Spanish Aragon with whom he was at war. It was only in 1279 that a dig began inside the « oratory » of Saint-Maximin.

After the discovery of the corpse of Mary Magdalene and the official recognition of her relics in 1281, Charles II decided, with the agreement and encouragement of Pope Boniface VIII, who published several papal bulls to this effect, to build a sumptuous basilica in honor of Mary Magdalene and to install there the sons of Saint Dominic.

The edification of the church and adjacent convent started in 1295. The plans were drawn by a French architect in the service of the Court of Naples, Master Pierre, perhaps Pierre d’Agincourt. In August 1305, Jean Baudici, builder of the Count’s palace in Aix, took over the remainder and became the master builder of Saint-Maximin.

Construction spans over several periods. The three apses and the first five trusses are achieved in 1345 ; the sixth truss covering the crypt is constructed in 1404 ; the three last ones are finished circa 1525. The central façade and the bell tower, foreseen at the beginning of the south nave, were never built.

The basilica measures 73 meters in length, 37 in width and 29 in height. The church is composed of three naves with neither ambulatory nor transept. If the exterior aspect may seem a bit massive, more a mark of Provençal robustness than of French audacity, the interior is completely different : the visitor is struck by the grandiose architecture, elegant and light, and above all by the luminosity of the ensemble.

La fenestrado baselico, sung by Frederic Mistral, counted no less than sixty-six openings, of which only fourty-four let in the light today. Moreover, among these, across the centuries, a certain number have been partially walled up to keep them water tight. At the start, Charles II had wished to reproduce in Provence his uncle’s « Sainte Chapelle » in Paris. Actually, the pavillon built over the crypt in the 15th Century and demolished in the years around 1800, was called the « Sainte Chapelle. »

The crypt.

Despite its small dimensions (19m2), the crypt is the heart of the basilica. In addition to the reliquary of the « chef » (the head) of Mary Magdalene, it encloses four sarcophagi dating from the second half of the 4th Century.

The reliquary dates from 1860 and replaces the silver and gold one stolen during the Revolution. It contains the saint’s skull. Recently appraised , it is declared to be that of « a small Mediterranean type woman, about sixty years of age. » A crystal tube is sealed to the bottom of the reliquary. It encloses what has always been called the Noli me tangere (Do not touch me) a fragment of skin and bone tissue clinging to Mary Magdalene’s frontal bone on which Christ had placed his fingers on the morning of the Resurrection. This fragment had become detached from the skull during a review of the relics slightly before the Revolution.

The sarcophagi are assigned to Mary Magdalene, the Saint Sidony, Maximin (and the Holy Innocents) and Marcelle. The four bear witness to the primacy of Peter and thus to the papacy. On the third one is sculpted a remarkable scene, deeply rooted in christendom, by its antiquity and inspiration : the stable and star, a smiling Jesus in the crèche, Mary thoughtful, the ox and the donkey, as well as, in an bold chronological image, the arrival of the three Magi.
Finally, the crypt contains four engraved plaques, said to have come from the chancel, a railing that separates the choir from the church: a young Mary at the temple of Jerusalem, David in the lions’s den, Abraham’s sacrifice, a female praying figure.

The wooden sculptures.

The basilica is a major center for wood sculpture in 17th Century Provence. Very rich in high quality liturgical furnishings, it contains : choir stalls, a pulpit, an organ console, a choir enclosure and sacristy wardrobes.

The stalls.

This important, sculpted walnut ensemble is sustained by the choir pillars. The enclosure, extending a distance of 20 m in length and 15 in width, therefore stretches out to more than one hundred meters.

One can count 94 stalls on two levels. These are surmounted by twenty-two medallions representing the saints (male and female), of the Dominican Order. Construction of the ensemble lasted eleven years, from 1681 to 1692. The main author of this masterpiece is a Dominican, Brother Funel, assisted by two laymen from Marseille : Jean Olerys and Joseph Gras.

The pulpit.

An impressive composition of woodwork and sculptures, it is coiled around a pillar of the basilica just above the crypt. Specialists worldwide come to admire the various woodworking techniques. The pulpit was completed in 1756 by another Dominican, Brother Louis Gudet.

The pendant (beneath the pulpit vat) represents the four evangelists (eagle, lion, bull and man).

Historians believe that the magnificent sacristy wardrobes, dating from 1752, were carved by the same Brother Gudet, also author of the Mary Magdalene chapel retable that faces the crypt and still contains two beautiful 17th Century armoires, for relics, that were restored some years ago.

Paintings.

The basilica contains several works of exceptional quality, the first of which can be found at the upper end of the north nave. It is the 1520 Crucifixion altarpiece by Antoine Ronzen, a painter of Flemish origin, who had first come to work in Marseilles (the famous painting entitled, Preaching, exposed in the Old Marseilles Museum) then in Saint-Maximin. Surrounding the central panel that shows Christ on the cross, classically looking down at Mary Magdalene before an interesting image of Jerusalem with its « Omar mosque, » there are sixteen panels describing scenes from the Passion. Particular notice should be made of the first representation of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, as well as the Roman Coliseum and Saint Marc’s Square in Venice, birthplace of the painter.

Many other paintings will retain the visitor’s attention. A must see is the inside panel of the altar painting in the seventh, left side chapel evoking the Noli me tangere (Do not touch me) of the day of Resurrection. A huge enigmatic mural, in large part hidden from the eyes by the organ console and pipes, shows the resurrected Christ looking at Mary Magdalene. Recently returned from restoration in Marseilles are the painted wood panels attributed to Prior Abellon (first half of the 15th Century) that present four saints: Lawrence, Anthony, Sebastian and Thomas Aquinas with their symbols. Further mention is made in the last paragraphs of Chapter 7.