A couple of weeks ago via French Affaires Weekly, we took a photo tour of Aix-en-Provence and its remarkable collection of oratoires urbains, mini places of prayer affixed to houses and buildings. But the sacred art in Provence doesn’t end there. There are les églises (churches), les chapelles (chapels), les cimetières (cemeteries) and les cathédrales (cathedrals). Pedestaled crosses of all shapes and sizes are on view both in town and countryside. These three crosses from the hilltop village of Les Baux-de-Provence are striking from any angle.
I think I am the most moved, however, by the solitary crosses along rural routes. Their weatherbeaten iron and stone facades hold a sacred space through sun, wind and rain. One of my favorites is this simple croix along a quiet lane outside the village of Maussane-les-Alpilles, just down the hill from Les Baux.
Before leaving Maussane and its environs, I like to visit another sacred sight located along the main street of town. Erected in remembrance of the great plague of 1720 that ravaged Provence, this free-standing oratoire houses the figure of Saint Roch, known for his healing powers against la peste. In olden times, spring water from la Fontaine des fièvres (the Fountain of Fevers) filled the small basin at the base of this oratoire.
French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter™
Our sacred Provence tour ends with this private chapel on an estate outside Aix-en-Provence. Cette chapelle has remained in the same family for generations. Scores of French family members have been married there.
I was reminded of it earlier this year when I attended a French-American wedding in Florida. The bride was French, and the groom American. The ceremony was held in both French and English, with Notre père (the Lord’s prayer, literally ‘the Our Father’) as part of the service. Here is the French version which I took away as my souvenir:
