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Abbey of Saint-Victor, Marseille

The Abbey of Saint-Victor is just a few steps from Marseille's Old Port. Founded in the 5th century by John Cassian, it holds the city's most remarkable crypts: inside are the remains of an ancient Greek quarry, an early Christian basilica, and an impressive accumulation of 4th- and 5th-century sarcophagi, some stacked up to seven levels high and never opened. The upper church, rebuilt in Romanesque style between the 12th and 13th centuries, is still used for worship and houses the Black Madonna. Every 2 February, Candlemas, a procession sets out from the Old Port to the abbey, where the archbishop blesses the Black Madonna, the city and the traditional navettes. The site is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00, at 3 Rue de l'Abbaye, in the 7th arrondissement.

Things to do at Abbey of Saint-Victor, Marseille: 3 missions

• See the Black MadonnaSee the Black Madonna kept in the crypts, dressed in her green mantle.
• Look at the impressive stack of sarcophagiTake in the impressive stack of sarcophagi piled up to seven levels high.
• Look at the towerSee the tower that Abbot Isarn had built.

Near Abbey of Saint-Victor, Marseille

Source: marseille-tourisme.com