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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a 9th-century Romanesque fortified church built in Camargue (Bouches-du-Rhône) during the Viking and Saracen invasions. Its architecture combines military defense and Christian worship, with an imposing dungeon-abside visible 10 km away. It replaces an ancient temple dedicated to Artemis, mentioned by Strabon, then a chretianized oppidum in the 6th century under the name Sancta Maria de Ratis, linked to the legend of the landing of Saint Marys.

The major reconstruction between 1165 and 1170, under the nascent Gothic influence, incorporated defensive elements (mâchicoulis, round road) and a high chapel dedicated to Saint Michael to house the relics. The site, threatened by the Saracens until the tenth century, was rebuilt by Guillaume I of Provence in 973, then attached to the Abbey of Montmajour in 1078. The excavations of 1448, ordered by King René, revealed relics and a crypt dedicated to Sara la Noire, central places of the present pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, formalized in 1343 by Pope Benedict XII, attracts the faithful for the feasts of May 25 and October 22, including maritime processions. The relics, discovered in 1448 (two bodies and re-used pagan cippes), symbolize the Christianization of an ancient cult in Tremaia (Celtic ideas). The church, classified in 1840, preserves major Romanesque capitals (1160–1165) and a 17th century altarpiece, testimonies of its spiritual and defensive role.

The building, with a single nave and a polygonal apse, served as shelter for the population during barbaric raids. Its bell tower-wall, with five bells, and its crypt to the statue of Sara la Noire (situated ritually since 1936) illustrate the fusion of pagan, Christian and gypsy traditions. The changes of the 14th–15th centuries, like the round road, strengthened its fortress appearance, dominating the city for 15 meters high.

Archaeological excavations revealed an earlier rural chapel (single nave, semicircular apse) in limestone, with a north tower and re-used Arlesian lions. The site, protected by ramparts until the Revolution, was a strategic lock for Arles. Today, the church combines Romanesque simplicity (broken crow, archatures) and medieval symbols, such as the well under the 17th century Christ, recalling its use as refuge.

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