St. Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume! Travel Marathon through France: April 2023

After settling in at Les Agates (which is officially Domaine La Procureuse), we ventured out to the closest big town which is St. Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, also known as just St. Maximin (at this point we were still in search of a charging station for our electric vehicle!)

St. Maximin main street facing Basilique St. Marie-Madeleine. Photo by A. Gochtovtt

St. Maximin was a town of about 5,000 people when we lived in Brue-Auriac and, for my Mom, didn’t really count as a city after having lived in Paris, which comparatively had 8 million people, but it was larger than Barjols (which today still has fewer than 3,000 full-time residents), and the largest city in the area, besides Aix-en-Provence, which is about 45 minutes away; it was the closest she could go for a little shopping and dining.

Photo by A. Gochtovtt

Photos by S. Mongelli

Photos by A. Gochtovtt

St. Maximin is also known for its beautiful basilica purported to house the remains of St. Mary Magdalene, a fervent follower of Jesus, first mentioned in Luke Chapter 8, “out of whom had come seven demons”, and who witnessed both His crucifixion and resurrection. Legend has it that she ended up in Provence, in St. Baume, hence her relics at the Basilica in St. Maximin.

The inside of the Basilica. I am pretty certain this is the church where the family attended mass on Sundays. I remember the organ as well as the drive home, from a specific memory where I claimed for no particular reason, in the car on the way home, that Arlette, our nanny, had made us pancakes for after church brunch. My siblings scoffed at the claim and I remember feeling vexed and looking out the window. However, when we got home, my mysterious claim was validated, at which point I was told that Arlette must have told me ahead of time (she hadn’t).

Photos by S. Mongelli

Photos by A. Gochtovtt

You can read more about the remains of St. Mary Magdalene here. And just 30 minutes away is Sainte-Baume, Rock of Mercy, a monastery hidden in a grotto, that some traditions teach is where St. Mary took refuge in prayer and penance until the end of her life. While Steve and I did not have a chance to visit, this pilgrimage is definitely on my bucket list for next time.

We ended our first day in Provence eating dinner at Côté Jardin — one thing to remember for dining out while visiting France is that apéritifs are served at 6PM and dinner around 8–9PM; eating any earlier than “19:00 hours” is considered like eating at 4PM in the States (ie: only seniors in Florida do it). Most restaurants don’t even open until 7PM so keep that in mind if, like us, you like to eat early to maximize your intermittent fasting time (best not to set any such goals when on vacation!).

Photo by A. Gochtovtt

Photo by A. Gochtovtt

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