Notre-Dame de la Garde

La Bonne Mere stands at one hundred and forty-nine metres on a limestone spur, the highest point in Marseille, on the site of a chapel and later a fort; the present neo-Byzantine basilica was built between 1853 and 1864 in banded white and green stone, with a gilded Virgin more than eleven metres tall on the belfry, some sixty metres above the forecourt, visible from most of the city and far out to sea. Inside, the walls carry ex-votos left by sailors and families: painted panels of storms survived, model ships hanging from the ceiling, plaques, crutches. The terrace gives the whole city, the port, the islands and the coast in one sweep.

What you actually see

• The ex-voto collection - model ships, painted storms and plaques of thanks.
• The banded exterior - white and green stone in neo-Byzantine style.
• The gilded Virgin - a statue high on the belfry seen across the city.
• The terrace panorama - Marseille, the islands and the coast.

When to go

Year-round; the basilica is free and open daily. Morning light suits the harbour view, evening the sea. The climb on foot is long and steep, and the bus is the practical option.

Honest expectations

It is a working church with services and dress expectations. The terrace is crowded with coach groups through the middle of the day. Bullet marks from the 1944 fighting remain on the walls.

Nearby

The Vieux-Port lies below; the MuCEM is at the harbour mouth.