Mary's Provence

There are five main places in Provence associated with the legends of Mary Magdalene and the saints. 

1. La Sainte-Baume-de-Provence




High in one of the limestone 'massifs' or mountains of Provence in southern France is 'La Sainte Baume', a large cave which tradition says is the place where Mary Magdalene retreated after converting many of the people of Provence to Christianity. A monastery has existed on the site since the 4th century AD. It is a forty-minute steep climb to the site through an ancient forest (untouched by the axe because of its spiritual association with Mary). It is an incredibly peaceful and spiritual place.

More photos on Flickr

(audio is in French, turn on subtitles for English translation)



2. St-Maximin-La-Saint-Baume

In December of the year 1279, Charles II of Anjou travelled to the small town of St-Maximin in Provence (about 35kms west of Aix-en-Provence) to excavate the site which tradition described as the tomb of Mary Magdalene. According to the chronicle of Bernand Gui, a Dominican historian, Charles discovered a marble sarcophogus which contained the body of a woman and a small wooden Roman-era tablet wrapped in wax which read

"Hic requiescit corpus beatae Mariae Magdalenae” (Here lies the body of Mary Magdalene).

Also in the tomb was a papyrus scroll with the words: 

"The year of the birth of the Lord 710, the sixth day of December, at night and very secretly, under the reign of the very pious Eudes, king of the Franks, during the time of the ravages of the treacherous nation of the Saracens, the body of the dear and venerable St. Mary Magdalene was, for fear of the said treacherous nation, moved from her alabaster tomb to the marble tomb, after having removed the body of Sidonius, because it was more hidden."

After the discovery the Pope gave permission for a grand basillica to be built on the spot, which still stands to this day. La Sainte Baume, the mountain top grotto thought to be Mary's spiritual retreat, is a 45 minute drive from St Maximin.

3. Saints-Maries-de-le-Mer and the Carmague

Tradition tells that Mary and the other disciples landed on a beach in this area after being shipwrecked, and trekked through the wetlands of the Carmague to reach the nearby town of Arles. The white horses of the Carmague are unique to the area and were common in Roman times.


The church in the background marks the spot where it is believed two of the saints (Saint Mary Cleopas and Saint Mary Salome) are buried. Gypsies make a yearly pilgrimage to the town to remember Saint Sarah, who was said to be the servant girl of the two Marys.

4. Arles

Tradition tells that Mary and the other disciples arrived in the town during the festival of Venus and converted many pagans to Christ. The arena (in the centre of the photo) and the semi-circular theatre (in the lower left of the photo) were built around the time of Jesus' birth by the emperor Augustus. The famous statue of Venus now in the Louvre museum in Paris was found in the amphitheatre in Arles. Arles (known as Arelate in Roman times), was an important trading post in the first century AD. Barges would bring goods up the Rhone river (from the Mediterranean Sea) to be dispatched throughout Europe.

5.  Tarascon

As mentioned in the novel, Tarascon is a small town upstream from Arles, which had been terrorized by a 'dragon' (most likely a crocodile) that lived beside the river. Saint Martha visited the town and tamed the beast, then made Tarascon her home. Martha's remains are buried in the cyrpt of the Collegiate Church of St Martha in the town. It's thought that the church was built on the site of Martha's home. The town also features a beautiful medieval castle.