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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte in Aix-en-Provence, located in Place Saint-Jean-de-Malte at the corner of the streets of Italy and Cardinale, is considered the first Gothic church in Provence. Built between 1272 and 1277 (unconfirmed dates) on the site of a 12th century chapel erected by the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, it owes its scope to the will of the Counts of Provence Alphonse II and Raymond-Bérenger V, who elect their burial. Its architecture, with a unique nave and chapels between foothills, breaks with the Provence Romanesque cannons. The choir and transepts, added to accommodate the tombs, were completed before 1277, although the lateral chapels were later.

The precise dating of the church remains uncertain: an act of 1192 attests to a hospital order on the site, and an altar dedicated to Minerve, discovered before 1593, suggests an ancient past. In 1251 a consecration was mentioned, possibly linked to an earlier building. The bell tower, 67 meters high, was completed between the 14th and 15th centuries (traditionally dated 1376). A symbol of power, he dominated the city and underwent changes, such as replacing his metal spur with a Maltese cross in 1755 after a storm. Three of its four original bells were melted in 1793 to arm the siege of Toulon; the last, weighing 1,260 kg, is preserved.

In the 17th century, the church underwent major transformations under the impetus of Prior Jean-Claude Viany (1670–1695). He financed new chapels by selling assigned land, and had the side entrance redone in 1683, decorated with a marble medallion representing the Take-off of Saint John the Baptist (1694). The façade, reworked at the same time, includes two 32-metre octagonal towers, connected by a balcony above a 4-metre pink. The Mazarin quarter, created in 1646, then included the church, protecting it from military risks that had almost caused its demolition in the sixteenth century.

The interior is distinguished by its brightness, its golden stone and its art works. Among the paintings, The Crucifixion of Eugene Delacroix and The Resurrection of Christ by Louis Finson (1610) attracted particular attention. The stained glass windows, like that of the bedside (1854) representing the Baptism of Christ, complete this heritage. The current organ, inaugurated in 2006, replaces several earlier instruments, including one destroyed during the Revolution. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1840, the church now houses a parish entrusted to the Fraternity of Apostolic Monks.

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