6th arrondissement of Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

The 6th arrondissement of Marseille is one of the 16 arrondissements of Marseille. It is part of the fourth sector of Marseille.

It is part of one of the wealthiest districts of Marseille with the 8 th and 7 th, which it borders on the south and west. It is bordered to the east near the Boulevard Baille and the 26th centennial park by the 5 th and 10 th arrondissement, north by the 1st district. It shares with the 8 th arrondissement streets Breteuil, Paradis and Avenue du Prado, historic places of residence of the Marseille bourgeoisie.

It houses the antique district on rue Edmond-Rostand as well as the city’s luxury boutiques located in rue Paradis, Grignan, and Breteuil. It is also the district of “bourgeois bohemians” and artists in its north-eastern part around the Cours Julien.

Districts
The sectors and districts of Marseille are intra-municipal administrative divisions that share the territory of Marseille. The city is thus divided into eight sectors and sixteen municipal districts.

These municipal districts should not be confused with the departmental districts, which are another type of administrative subdivision at the departmental level. In France, the municipalities of Lyon and Paris are also subdivided into municipal sectors.

The 6th arrondissement of Marseille is divided into 6 districts: Castellane, Lodi, Notre-Dame du Mont, Palais de Justice, Préfecture and Vauban and 19 IRIS.

Castellane
Castellane is a district of the 6 th arrondissement of Marseille. It is the main artery of public transport (a tram line, two metro lines and a dozen bus lines).

Lodi
Lodi is a district of the 6 th arrondissement of Marseille around the streets of Lodi.

Notre-Dame-du-Mont Church
The church Notre-Dame du Mont is located on the square of the same name in the 6th arrondissement of Marseille.

Palais-de-Justice
The Palais de Justice is a district of the 6 th arrondissement of Marseille around the courthouse.

Préfecture
Prefecture is an area of 6 th arrondissement of Marseille around the prefecture of the Rhone delta.

Vauban
Vauban is a district of the 6 th arrondissement of Marseille around Vauban Boulevard. The district is located around the parish of Saint-François d’Assise, which faces the Maison du Peuple, at the top of boulevard Vauban.

Vauban reinforced Marseille with fortifications, because of its Marseille origin and its positioning on the Mediterranean which make it a high place of commerce and an door to invade France.

Monuments

Our Lady of the Guard Basilica
Notre-Dame de la Garde, often called “the Good Mother”, is a minor basilica of the xix th century the Catholic Church. Emblem of Marseille, dedicated to Notre-Dame de la Garde (protector of Marseille with Saint Victor), it dominates the city and the Mediterranean Sea from the top of the hill Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde (site classified since 1917).

Construction of the basilica began in 1852 and lasted for 21 years. It was originally an enlargement of a medieval chapel, but was transformed into a new structure at the request of Father Bernard, the chaplain. Built by Protestant architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu in style Romanesque-Byzantine, it replaces a chapel of the same name built in 1214 and rebuilt in the xv th century.

Built on the foundations of a fort of the xvi th century built by François I st in 1536 to resist the siege of Charles V, the basilica has two parts: a low church, or crypt, carved into the rock and of Romanesque style, and above a high church of Romano-Byzantine style decorated with mosaics. At the top of a 41 meter high square bell tower itself topped with a 12.5 meter tower which serves as its pedestal, stands a monumental 11.2 meter statue of the Madonna and Child made of gilded copper leaf.

An extensive restoration from 2001 to 2008 included work on mosaics damaged by candle smoke, green limestone from Gonfolina which had been corroded by pollution, and stonework that had been hit by bullets during the Liberation of France. The restoration of the mosaics was entrusted to Marseille artist Michel Patrizio, whose workmen were trained in Friuli, north of Venice, Italy. The tiles were supplied by the workshop in Venice which had made the originals.

Place Castellane
The Castellane square is a square located near the center of Marseille. We owe its name to Henri-César de Castellane-Majastre who offered the land and the financing of the works in 1774.

In his book The Golden Arrow, Joseph Conrad speaks of this place with the obelisk: “At the end of the rue de Rome, the violent and icy breath of the mistral enveloped the victoria with a vast trail of brilliant sun, but devoid of heat. We took a right, bypassing at a majestic pace the rather petty obelisk erected at the entrance of Prado 2. The period of this account is around 1875.

Since November 12, 1911, this obelisk was transferred to the Mazargues district and replaced by the “ Jules Cantini ” fountain, one of the most beautiful fountains in the City, represents Marseille at the top of a column; its faces evoke the Mediterranean which points its finger towards the harbor, and the Rhône is allegorically represented there at all stages of its journey from its source to the sea. It was sculpted between 1911 and 1913 by the Toulon native André-Joseph Allar in Carrara marble at the request of Jules Cantini.

Prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône
The Prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône is the building housing the prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhône department. Built from 1862 to 1866, it is located in n o 2 boulevard Paul Peytral in Marseille, capital of the department.

The hotel in the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture is in the form of a parallelogram 90 meters long and 80 meters deep. The main facade, located to the north, overlooks Place de la Préfecture, an extension of Rue Saint-Ferréol; to the east is a garden bordering the rue de Rome; the southern part runs along rue Sylvabelle while the public entrance is located west on rue Edmond-Rostand.

The main facade is decorated with four statues sculpted by Eugène-Louis Lequesne, the director of the Virgin of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, representing on the left Jean V de Pontevès and Vendôme and on the right Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis and the intendant Lebret. On this facade above the main door, was an equestrian statue of Napoleon III which had been produced by Eugène Guillaume and which was destroyed in 1870.

The facade overlooking the garden and the street of Rome is also decorated with four statues made by Stone Works (1822-1869) representing the left Belsunce and the Chevalier Roze, right on King René and Palamède de Forbin. The west facade has only two statues representing the Emperor Constantine, sculpted by Charles Gumery, and Charles Barbaroux, produced by Stanislas Clastrier.

Marseille
Marseille is the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in France. It is located on the Mediterranean coast near the mouth of the Rhône. Marseille is the second largest city in France, covering an area of 241 km2 (93 sq mi) and had a population of 870,018 in 2016.

Marseille has a complex history. It was founded by the Phoceans (from the Greek city of Phocea) in 600 B.C. and is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Marseille is the second largest city in France in terms of population. Its population is a real melting pot of different cultures.

From colourful markets (like Noailles market) that will make you feel like you are in Africa, to the Calanques (a natural area of big cliffs falling into the sea – Calanque means fjord), from the Panier area (the oldest place of the town and historically the place where newcomers installed) to the Vieux-Port (old harbor) and the Corniche (a road along the sea) Marseille has definitely a lot to offer.

Marseille is now France’s largest city on the Mediterranean coast and the largest port for commerce, freight and cruise ships. The city was European Capital of Culture in 2013 and European Capital of Sport in 2017; it hosted matches at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2016. It is home to Aix-Marseille University.