Pay homage to the three Saintes of Camargue

Tour duration: 45 minutes

The Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer shelters the relics of the two Saints who gave their name to the village, Marie Jacobée and Marie Salomé, as well as a crypt dedicated to Saintes Sara, the patroness of the Gypsies. A triply holy place, it attracts countless pilgrims every year.

Barely past the only one, a feeling of seniority hits you. Despite the numerous paintings and precious objects displayed in the windows, the austere and massive appearance of the gray stone dominates. It is therefore here that according to legend, the sister of the virgin and the mother of the apostles James and John erected an oratory. In 1448, King René of Anjou wanted to find out for sure, so he ordered excavations under the church. And we found two bodies resting side by side, their heads on a marble “pillow”. You can still see it today sealed between two stones in the left span, right next to the sculpture representing the Saints in their boat. It was so much caressed by the faithful who came here to seek healing and protection or to thank the Saints for some miracles, to which numerous ex-votos testify, that it took on a disturbing and patinated shape. Other vestiges of the primitive place of worship have survived the ages: in the middle of the nave a trap door opens onto a well which was fed by a water source "that God created so that the Saints could live in this place" as the specifies a 14th century lithograph.

As for the relics of the Saints, they are carefully preserved in the Upper Chapel, which they only leave twice a year, during the pilgrimages of May 24 and October 22: according to a ritual unchanged for centuries, the double shrine in which they were then placed down through the window above the choir. The symmetrically dug crypt under the choir dates from the time of the excavations. It was here that the bodies of the Saints were discovered. Today it is dedicated to Sara-la-Kâli (Black Sara in the Gypsy language), their servant according to some, queen of a gypsy tribe according to others. The Gypsies recognize her as their patron saint and come from all over Europe to honor her every year.

At the bottom of the crypt, the dark face of the black virgin of Camargue emerges from a sumptuous blue dress covered with a long pink cape. An urn filled with pieces of paper on which prayers have been written is placed next to her. The glow of ten red candles as well as the scent of wax and the heat it gives off create a magical atmosphere giving Sara the look of a voodoo princess. Before hitting the road again, look once again at her radiant and serene face and remember that she is also the protector of travelers.