A style come from the East

Splendid cathedral of La Major, resembles romano-Byzantine, near the Fort St. John and Mucem!

The first stone of the Cathedral was asked by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte on 26 September 1852.
It is the architect Léon Vaudoyer which drew the plans of the Cathedral of La Major. He died in 1872, construction goes to Henry Espérandieu until his own death in 1874. It is Henri Revoil which finally completes the new Cathedral, after 44 years of construction. On May 6, 1896, the Basilica Cathedral is consecrated.

History
To the location of the current Cathedral of the Major, several religious buildings that followed one another: an early Christian Church and a baptistery, followed by the first Major, built in the 12th century.
The '' new '' Major rises West vestiges of the old Romanesque cathedral, the Church of the old Major. Its construction is decided while the city of Marseille is going through a period of economic, social and demographic growth and is adorned with important buildings. Erected on an esplanade between the old Port and the "new" port of trade, near the District of Joliette and the Fort Saint-Jean, its first stone was laid on September 26, 1852 by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte on plans Léon Vaudoyer.
St. Mary major (often referred to as "the Major") is the only Cathedral built in France in the 19th century, where it had not built in for two centuries. It is considered to be one of the largest cathedrals built in this country since the middle ages. Design of the time, its size, comparable to that of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, should be worthy of the importance of the second city and the first port of France, "East Gate" and allow him to host 3,000 people.
Started by Léon Vaudoyer who died in 1872, construction will be resumed by the architect Jacques Henri Espérandieu, pupil and collaborator of Léon Vaudoyer. It will take time to complete the installation of metal designs and realization of the domes before dying in turn in 1874. Then, the end of the work will be entrusted to Henri Antoine Révoil. It will focus more on the decoration: mosaics, sculptures, bronze, in the company of inspectors Errard, me and James.
Completed on November 30, 1893, she is given to Bishop Jean-Louis. January 24, 1896, the Cathedral is erected on January 24, 1896 in minor Basilica by Pope Léon XIII, then dedicated on May 6, 1897.
It was classified as a historical monument by Decree of August 9, 1906.

Architecture
With its alternately green and white stones, this building, equipment of byzantine inspiration, juxtaposes Romanesque and Gothic elements.
The Latin cross plan is designed by Léon Vaudoyer in romano-Byzantine style. The simultaneous presence of spires and domes is due to the will of the architect to make reference to the West and the East, on the model of our Lady of Doms in Avignon. But its domes and its cupolas remind those churches of Istanbul.
Structured as a tripartite building consisting of a monumental portico flanked by two towers, a large nave and a massive grouping shrines, the Cathedral form an extraordinary architectural ensemble, which had no equivalent in all the 19th century.
The materials used for the construction of this Cathedral of Byzantine style are very varied: green stone of Florence, white Carrara marble, stones of Calissane and Gard, Italy and Tunisia, onyx mosaics of Venice. Indoor and outdoor, decoration in marble and porphyry give it a special appearance for a religious building. OM call besides the "pyjamas". The cupolas and balustrades are decorated with elements borrowed from the cathedrals of Lucca and Siena. The novelty of the decoration is mainly due to the importance of the mosaic cycles.
The façade is adorned with statues of Christ, the Apostles, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and the saints of Provence as a bronze statue represents Monseigneur de Belsunce, Bishop of Marseille during the plague of 1720.
The total length of the Cathedral is 146 m, the main dome has almost 70 m high and 18 m in diameter.

In the Basilica, we find:
-The statues of the four evangelists by Louis Botinelly
-Christ and Veronica by Auguste Carli
-The Ciborium in onyx and the altars by Jules Cantini the tomb of Saint Eugene of Mazenod (in the axial Chapel)

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