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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Voyage de La Seyne-sur-Mer, located in the Var, finds its origins in a first chapel built in 1603. After the detachment of La Seyne from the parish of Six-Fours in 1657, this chapel became insufficient for a growing population. In 1673 the communal council decided to erect a new church at its site, razing the old chapel. The works, entrusted to the master masons Pierre and Jean Delvaux of Aix-en-Provence, began on 8 June 1674 and ended in 1682, according to the plans of the parish priest Rossoli.

The present facade dates back to 1890, when Marius Michel, dit Michel Pacha, owner of the Tamaris district, financed its complete renovation. Directed by the architect Paul Page de Toulon, the works transformed the facade with a sculpted central porch and a rosette, in a marked neoclassical style. This intervention was part of a major repair campaign made necessary by the state of the building around 1888.

Inside, the church consists of three vaulted naves and a square choir topped by an eight-sided dome. Its furniture includes a marble altar offered in 1892 by Amable Lagane, director of local shipyards, as well as gilded wooden statues, including a Saint Paul carved by André-Joseph Alllar, Grand Prix de Rome in 1869. The present organ, by François Mader (1891-1892), replaces a first instrument installed in 1811. The four bells, melted in 1862 by Émile Baudouin de Marseille, testify to the industrial ties of the region.

The church was listed as a historical monument on 2 December 1988, recognizing its heritage value combining the Baroque heritage of the 17th century and subsequent transformations. Its history reflects the demographic and economic evolution of La Seyne-sur-Mer, marked by the rise of shipyards and the influence of local patrons such as Michel Pasha.

The size of the building (39 m long, 19 m wide) and its southwest orientation underline its central role in the urban landscape. The windows of the lower side and the main nave provide natural lighting, while the bentier and statue of the Virgin complete its movable heritage. The building remains a symbol of the Seynian faith and identity, between maritime tradition and architectural heritage.

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