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FRANCE | Camargue, France Travel Guide
Thursday, November 21, 2024
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Les Saintes Maries de la Mer
Medieval church in Les Saintes de la Mer, France (cc)
Photo: Rinina25 & Twice25
Les Saintes Maries de la Mer Travel Guide
Les Saintes Maries de la Mer is a small yet busy seaside town with a boardwalk, souvenir shops, an arena and cafés. Its location on the Mediterranean, near the mouth of the Petit Rhône, makes it an ideal jumping-off point for some wonderful nature trails and deserted beaches. Despite calling itself the “Capital of the Camargue,” if not for the towering presence of the 12th-century fortress church, there would be little evidence that Les Saintes Maries de la Mer is more than a beach resort. In fact, it has been a pilgrimage site for nearly 2,000 years and is, today, the scene of Europe’s most remarkable pilgrimage festivals.
Twice a year, in May and in October, the town is transformed as tens of thousands of gypsies from all over the world pour into the area for the Pilgrimage Festivals of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. They come, many in their traditional caravans, to venerate the two Saint Marys and Sara, the gypsies’ patron saint, whose relics are kept in the town’s fortress church. During the festivals, the saints’ relics, in elaborate reliquaries, are brought down from their chapels into the center of the church. Fragile, ancient statues of the saints are carried to the sea in processions led by women in traditional Arlesienne and gypsy costumes and accompanied by gardians, Camargue horsemen in traditional dress. In addition to the religious observances, there are parties, parades of gypsy caravans, music and bull games.
Last updated November 19, 2013
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