Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is both the place of pilgrimage for the Camargue gypsies as well as the name of the village parish church.  This village is steeped in history, dating back to the days of the early Christians.  A strong association exists in this village with two St. Marys and St. Sara who is believed to be their servant.  There have been much studies and speculations as to how the two Marys arrived in Provence and as with the tales and stories of the saints and early disciples, many of the legends have been embellished over the years. 

We are told that the existence of Christians in Provence take into account historical facts such as the persecution of Christians in Palestine in the ancient days and the rapid manner in which Christianity spread in the first century, as evidenced by the missionary activities of St. Paul.  It is believed that many of the persecuted Christians were put on transport boats and cast off as far away as possible with no hope of returning to Palestine. Many of these boats landed around the Mediterranean and those who survived went from town to town preaching the Good News.  It was the practice during those times for followers and disciples to want to stay close to Jesus.  Mary Jacob and Mary Salome were two such followers and believed to have been arrested.  Along with many others like Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and Maximus, they were put on boats with no sail or oar.  Paintings in the church depict the 2 Marys in their boat as well as other saints.  Guided by providence, their boat landed on the shores of Provence.  There is no written records of the lives of the two Marys in Provence and their bodies were only rediscovered in 1448 when King Rene ordered some excavations below the church.

A similar tale tells the story of Sara, and again there are various versions of how she came to exist in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.  One version claims that she was a servant to the two Marys and another belief was that she was not Palestinian, but was from the Camargue, of noble descent and Queen of her tribe.  According to this belief, Sara was in fact the one who welcomed the two Marys when they landed and she subsequently coverted to Christianity.  The annual gypsy pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer venerates the two Saintes Marys and also St. Sara who is patron saint to the gypsies.

The interior of the church is stark and quite dark as well.  The interesting part is the crypt where it is believed the two Marys lived.  It is quite dark in here, with the only light being those put out by the candles.  It was rather hot too when we were there and the low ceiling and lack of ventilation ensured that the hot air was trapped down there.  At the far end of the crypt, to the right of the altar, is the statue of St. Sara.  She is draped in colorful coats and decorated with jewels.  It is an honour to Gypsy families to be able to dress St. Sara, somewhat like an offering to express gratitude or to ask for favours or blessings.

Whatever the truth is of the existence of the two Saint Marys and Saint Sara, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a unique church to visit.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

Aix-en-Provence is noted as a “City of Fountains” and three of the best are on Le Cours Mirabeau.  This beautiful tree-lined street, built in 1649 for horse-drawn coaches, links the Mazarin quarter to the south with the old commercial town to the north.  Elegant 17th and 18th century buildings with wrought iron balconies line the street, which was once where the city’s social life took place. 

The best place to start an exploration of this town is probably to start at La Rotonda.  On top of this monumental fountain are three statues representing Justice (facing Aix-en-Provence), Agriculture (facing Marseilles) and the Arts (facing Avignon).  The three main fountains located in Cours Mirabeau are:

• La Fontaine des Neuf Canons – The Nine Canons Fountain built in 1691
• La Fontaine d’eau Chaude, a mossy looking fountain fed by hot water from the Bagniers spring
• La Fontaine du Roi Rene – this 19th century fountain includes the statue of Good King Rene, holding a bunch of grapes in his hand.  King Rene is believed to have brought the famous Muscat grapes to Provence. 

Towards the far end of cours Mirabeau, look out for Les Deux Garcons café, previously frequented by Cezanne ( Aix’s most famous son) and his friends, including Zola.  Also look out for Le Passage Agard, through which you will find a Carmelite convent.

One disappointing aspect of this town is that Cours Mirabeau is also a busy vehicular thoroughfare.  Vans and garbage trucks drive through this narrow street and it gets quite chaotic at crossroads.  When you’re trying to get a shot of any of the fountains or appreciate its history, look out for the cars.

Helen Page

Travel Signposts Blog

When you arrive in this town, it’s clear to see that Van Gogh lived here for a while, although they didn’t show him much appreciation at the time. It’s different today, of course. All over town, street stalls try to capitalize on their famous past resident, selling tablecloths, aprons, etc. with sunflower prints on them, probably the subject of his paintings for which he’s best known.

From the one small commemorative bust of Van Gogh in the park, you wouldn’t think that this was an important city for him, but he did some 300 drawings and paintings during his short time here. He actually stayed in the “Yellow House” in the Place Lamartine, which is away from the central area, but the hospital where he spent some time has been converted into the Espace Van Gogh, a “mediatheque”, although the famous courtyard is still there.

You can get a walking tour leaflet from the tourist office that covers some of the places where Van Gogh set up his easel (there are panels representing his works). Ten spots have been chosen : The Place du Forum for the “Evening Café“, the Trinquetaille bridge for the “Staircase of the Trinquetaille bridge“, the Rhone River quay for the “Starry Night“, the Place Lamartine for the “Yellow House“, the Rue Mireille for the “Old Mill“, the Summer Garden on the Boulevard des Lices for the “Public Garden“, the Espace Van Gogh for the “Hospital Garden“, the road along the Arles à Bouc canal for the “Langlois bridge with washerwomen“. The Arena and the Alyscamps were also depicted in several paintings.

Arles is at least equally famous for its well-preserved Roman ruins, and its star attraction is the impressive Roman amphitheatre, whose arena is often used today for concerts and the local version of bull-fighting (where the bull is not slaughtered). It’s well worth climbing to the top tier to get a panoramic view of Arles. If you’re there in summer, you might even catch one of the bull contests in action.

Helen Page

Travel Signposts Blog

This 2,000 year old World Heritage Roman aqueduct is amazing to visit. The bridge is on three levels and was built before the Christian era so the aqueduct bringing water to Nimes could cross the Gard river.  On the way to the Pont, look out for three ancient olive trees on the right side of the track, one of which is 1,000 years old.  Brilliant blue skies provided a great backdrop to this majestic monument making it a photographer’s dream. 

We spent so much time taking snaps we nearly missed the opportunity to walk through the aqueduct.  Seeing a queue of people waiting at the southern end, I asked the guide if we could go up.  She said yes, but we needed tickets.  And where does one get tickets from — way back at the Museum near the entrance!  Luckily, today was the Jour National du Patrimoine and entry to all monuments and public attractions was free. The guide very kindly gave us two tickets.  Luck was on our side again as groups of 25 were allowed up each trip and we happened to be numbers 24 and 25… I actually think the guide took pity on us.   

Once you get to the top, you walk single file through the aqueduct and there’s no turning back.  I had thought that the views from the upper level would be amazing, but you actually walk through the closed tunnel where the water used to flow! It would be pitch black but for the fact that every ten metres or so they’ve removed a panel from the roof overhead. Tony pushed his camera out and took photos blind! The tunnel is very narrow, only one abreast, and in some places you have to squeeze through as the calcium deposits on either side make it even more confining; not recommended for the claustrophobic…

The exit is at the other end of the bridge and you then have to go down steps to the lower level, and cross the bridge again to get back to the museum area.  As we only had 30 minutes for that whole experience, it was quite a sprint back to the carpark.  Well worth it though.

Helen Page

Travel Signposts Blog