La croix de Provence

At the top of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, the Croix de Provence is a remarkable building visible from much of the Bouches du Rhone.
Built between 1871 and 1875, is owed to the obstinacy of a country priest, Father Meissonier, who erected to thank Heaven for having spared the scourge of Provence Prussian.
At the time, funds were collected from parishioners throughout the diocese of Aix, Arles and Embrun. The names of 22 000 donors have also always kept in a heart of copper embedded in the monument.
The building consists of a base frame with a height of 11 m, on which a metal cross 7 m high. Having received lightning three times between 2002 and 2003, the Croix de Provence was so badly damaged that it had even asked about the possibility of restoration. But the commitment of local people and the architectural value of this monument weighed heavily in the decision to initiate a sustainable operation.