The fury of the French Revolution had destroyed the magnificent Gothic Church of Notre Dame des Accoules in 1794 which had served the people of Marseille since 1205 (and as a parish from the 10th century). All that remained standing was the bell tower and the wall of the sanctuary against the rock face of the hill. It was a stark reminder of how a mob had lost sight of the positive values that the Revolution had stood for and in the wanton destruction effaced everything that could have given their lives a lasting sense of direction.<\/p>\n
Twenty five years later, in the mission preached in 1820, Eugene\u2019s Missionaries of Provence and Forbin Janson\u2019s Missionaries of France had aimed at restoring the faith of the inhabitants of Marseille and at helping them to rebuild their lives on Christian principles. Each mission ended with the erection of a mission cross as a permanent reminder of these days of grace. Significantly they chose the remaining wall of the destroyed church as the place to erect the large mission crucifix.<\/p>\n
Yvon Beaudoin explains:<\/p>\n
Charles de Forbin-Janson, the superior of the great mission preached in Marseilles in 1820, in his usual hasty and efficient manner, chose this site for raising the huge mission cross. In only a few days he had collected some 60,000 francs, had the place cleaned up and constructed a small hill which portrayed Calvary and, below it, a grotto which represented the holy Sepulchre. An iron grill enclosed the site. Many Marseilles people frequented this place.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMarseilles, Le Calvaire\u201d in Oblate Historical Dictionary, Volume\u00a01 http:\/\/www.omiworld.org\/dictionary.asp?v=5&vol=1&let=M&ID=813. (You can also see some photographs on this site<\/em>)<\/p>\n In 1821 it was a site of pilgrimage and prayer and so the Diocesan authorities asked Eugene to take over the responsibility of this symbolic place. It was a place that was to play an important role in the history of the Oblates.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree had destroyed us; a tree now brought us life.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Theodore of Studios<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The fury of the French Revolution had destroyed the magnificent Gothic Church of Notre Dame des Accoules in 1794 which had served the people of Marseille since 1205 (and as a parish from the 10th century). All that remained standing … Continue reading