Abbaye Saint-Victor
Fifth-century crypt of stacked ancient sarcophagi, home to a Black Madonna carried out once a year in a candlelit procession.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Abbaye Saint-Victor in Marseille follows the Chandeleur, a candlelit procession each February second that carries a small Black Madonna out of the abbey's crypt and up into the city above the harbor. You'll hear about the archbishop's blessing, the fifth-century monks who built the fortress-thick walls above the crypt, and the ancient sarcophagi stacked beneath your feet. It traces how a centuries-old ritual and a nearby bakery tradition became bound together.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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