The first stone was laid on the 11th of September 1853. Monseigneur de Mazenod decided to build a big basilica called Notre-Dame de la Garde. In the middle of the 19th century, the sanctuary turned out to be too small for the many pilgrims visiting. The hill of the ‘Garde’ had three purposes: a look-out post, a military building, and a place of worship and pilgrimage. Many chapels succeeded one another in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance until the actual basilica was built.
In 1214, a priest named Pierre built a small chapel and a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary on-site and established the religious calling of the location. Nowadays, the remains of the fort which were used as the basis for the actual basilica can still be seen, and we can guess the King’s emblem above the northern entrance porch: the salamander. This lookout system improved with centuries and the hill kept a monitoring role until 1978.įrancis I of France ordered the building of a fort in 1524 to protect Marseille from the armies of Charles V led by the Constable of Bourbon, and together with the ‘Château d’If’ (If Castle), they constituted a maritime defense which was lacking in the city.
In the 15th century, a ruling from Charles II of Naples included it in the way station list. At its highest point at 154 meters, it offers a 360 degrees view of the city, the islands, and the sea. The hill of “Garde” (154 m) has always been an observation point.
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