White stone Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-La-garde, like hovering over the Marseille – this temple is located on top of a hill about 150 meters. The bell tower was the highest structure in the ensemble of the Church is the gilded statue of the virgin and child. The virgin Mary is revered by Marseille as the heavenly patroness of the city.

Previously on the site of the temple stood the watch tower, as the top of the hill a good view of the surroundings of the city, and the tower itself was well visible from sea-going vessels, akin to Marcel.

The first Church on the hill began in 1214, the initiator of the Foundation stone of the Church was made by the local priest. After his death, the Church becomes part of a small monastery, and in the XV century was built a new Church building.

In the first half of the XVI century by order of king Francis I in Marseille were built two fortresses – the Fort on the island of If (later described by Alexander Dumas in one of his novels) and fortress on a hill, composed and Church of our lady-the guardian.

At the end of the XVIII century the Church was looted, and the castle became a state prison for several notable prisoners, among whom were the Duke of Orleans and the Duchess Louise de Bourbonne. The temple was returned to the Catholic Church only in the early nineteenth century, in the middle of the century, work began on its restoration. In 1864 the Church was consecrated, however, the recovery process continued until the end of the nineteenth century.

In the Basilica you can see modestly removed the crypt (lower Church) and elegant, with bright and rich decoration of the upper Church. The upper Church is decorated with mosaics depicting the assumption of our lady and other mosaics, colored fragments of which were imported from Venice, columns of red and white marble, also made of white marble main altar.

In the lower Church houses two sculptures in marble, created in the XIX century is the image of Bishop de Marseille Maseno and Pope Pius IX. Behind the main altar you can see the statue of the virgin Mary of the eighteenth century. In the temple also stores plaques with prayers of gratitude for the salvation that was left by the sailors, survivors of the shipwreck.