Cathédrale La Major, Marseille

The Cathédrale de la Major — formally the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure — is the principal Roman Catholic cathedral of Marseille, one of the largest churches built in France during the 19th century, and among the most distinctive examples of neo-Byzantine architecture in Western Europe. The cathedral was constructed between 1852 and 1893 on the Joliette waterfront in the 2nd arrondissement, replacing a smaller Romanesque cathedral (the Ancienne Major, still standing adjacent) on a site where Christian worship has continued since early antiquity. The exterior is the cathedral's most celebrated feature: the facade and body are clad alternately in bands of pale Calissane limestone and dark green Florentine marble — a striped polychrome treatment derived from Byzantine and Moorish precedents — surmounted by three shallow cupolas and a taller central dome rising 60 metres. The visual impact of this striped Byzantine facade against the blue Provençal sky and the adjacent Mediterranean port is unique in France. The cathedral is 142 metres long and 65 metres wide, with a nave capacity of 3,000. The interior is built in a Roman basilica plan with side aisles but decorated throughout in neo-Byzantine style: marble columns, gilt mosaics in the apse, and a painted ceiling vault above the crossing. Several notable artworks are housed inside, including a collection of early Byzantine enamels and reliquaries in the treasury. Adjacent to the main cathedral, the Ancienne Major (old cathedral, 12th–15th century) is preserved as a heritage monument with Romanesque apse decorations and a notable renaissance altar by Francesco Laurana. The cathedral stands in the Fort Saint-Jean and MuCEM quarter — a 5-minute walk connects the three sites — making this a logical component of any Marseille waterfront itinerary.