Paroisse Cathédrale Saint Sauveur Aix-en-Provence

I loved the atmosphere inside this cathedral — it’s dark, calm, and you can really feel how old it is. Every hour they offer a small tour of the inner garden, and for a simple donation you get a lot of interesting information about the place and the old monastic traditions. The garden itself is incredibly tranquil, almost like stepping straight into the medieval past. A very cool and memorable experience.

Whenever I visit a city in Europe, I always make sure to look for a cathedral, and for some reason, the cathedral in Aix-en-Provence felt even more solemn and weighty. Was it because the lights weren't on? Nevertheless, we lit candles and prayed. We concluded our final itinerary in southern France, hoping that our trip to France would proceed smoothly and meaningfully.

Such a phenomenal cathedral that we visted twice, the second time to visit the cloisters. The history spaned centuries and is a place to admire on a religious and historical basis. Highly recommend. It would be wonderful to experience a service here.

One of the most amazing cathedrals - and you wouldn’t recognize from the outside. Actually hard to find as it is easily overlooked in the dazzling inner town of Aix. The magnificent inside greets you first with a wonderful full-body baptistery on the right, with high columns. Then you walk on until you realize you are in a side wing - and turning to the left exposes a beautiful main ship, with an even more wonderful altar area. We didn’t see the associated cloister as this has a long lunch time break, so check the time tables if you want to visit this as well.

Very old and full of character, a fascinating mix of architecture. This is a beautiful historic site with layers of history. You can see a blend of Roman, Gothic, and Baroque styles all in one place. The stone carvings, wooden choir stalls, and ancient baptistery are especially impressive. Even if you’re not religious, it’s worth a visit just to admire the architecture and peaceful atmosphere. A great spot for photos and a quiet moment in the city.

Amazing visit! No tickets needed. You can visit the church free of charge (except during church services when it’s off limits for visitors). There are spaces dedicated to prayers only - off limits for visitors - which you are asked to respect. The beautiful archway and garden can be visited with a guide only. Make sure to put that on your schedule:) it’s free of charge but polite to leave a tip.

Absolutely outstanding church - architecture, artworks, organ, cloisters, and alter. One of the best I have ever seen.

Beautiful cathedral! You can clearly experience how it has grown during the many centuries, from the simple baptism area, through the Roman period, to the Gothic part. The extra gallery of the monastery is also worth a visit, with many icons on the pillars.

As I walked around the Old Town of Aix-en-Provence, I noticed the huge cathedral. The Aix Cathedral is a beautiful Roman Catholic church and the seat of the Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence and Arles. The cathedral is built on the site of the 1st-century Roman forum of Aix. Built and re-built from the 12th until the 19th century, it includes Romanesque, Gothic and Neo-Gothic elements, as well as Roman columns and parts of the baptistery from a 6th-century Christian church. The cathedral, a national monument of France, is located on the route of the Roman road, the Via Aurelia. A fragment of a Roman wall and the columns of the baptistery seem to be the origin of the legend that the church was built on top of a Roman temple dedicated to Apollo. The historian Scholastique Pitton (1668) claimed that the temple had been dedicated to a sun god, basing his claim upon the discovery of the leg of a statue uncovered at the site. According to the Christian tradition, the first church on the site was founded by Saint Maximinus of Aix, who arrived in Provence from Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, with Mary Magdalene on a boat belonging to Lazarus. Maximin built a modest chapel on the site of the present cathedral and dedicated it to the Holy Saviour (le Saint Sauveur). During the invasion of the Saracens in the 8th and 9th centuries, the original chapel of Saint-Sauveur was destroyed. At the beginning of the 12th century, a new church was begun on the same site, with Romanesque walls bearing the three bays of a wide single nave, constituting a parish church dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Notre Dame de la Sède). It's a nice building to visit while in the city.

Beautiful! I stumbled on this cathedral when I was walking around. Would I suggest making a special trip here? I would normally say no... but there is not much to do in Aix-en-Provence, and the town is so small, that I guess you might as well! I was only here for about 5 minutes, but I did enjoy coming here!

We went to hear the Gregorian chants on Sunday afternoon, but missed them and instead heard some beautiful organ music while we were there. It is a lovely old church and well worth a visit. I just wish we hadn't missed the chanting! Very peaceful to sit and listen if the organist is playing.