The cathedral of Aix-en-Provence is located on the route of the Via Aurelia, an ancient Roman road that connected Rome with Gaul along the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The cathedral is built on the site of the first-century Roman forum of Aix.
According to tradition, the first church was founded by St. Maximin of Aix, who came to Provence from Bethany, with Mary Magdalene.
During the invasion of the Saracens in the eighth and ninth centuries, the original chapel was completely destroyed.
At the beginning of the twelfth century a new church was built, with Romanesque walls that support the three bays of a large single nave, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The construction of the new church was interrupted by the Black Death and then by the Hundred Years’ War. Work did not resume until 1472, when the last span was built.
The façade took another thirty years, and the last statues were not put in place until 1513, at the beginning of the Renaissance.
The original Romanesque façade of the nave, which included the twelve statues of the apostles, was destroyed during the French Revolution
The cathedral of Aix-en-Provence has been declared a French national monument.
