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Saint-Mitre - Church © WG OTLCM (4)Saint-Mitre - Church © WG OTLCM (4)
©Saint-Mitre - Church © WG OTLCM (4)

Saint-Mitre in Marseille

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Saint-Mitre in Marseille is one of the city’s quietest neighbourhoods. It was named after the martyr Mitre d’Aix.

A quiet district of the 13th arrondissement of Marseille

Its neighbouring districts are Château-Gombert (to the north-east) Le Merlan (to the west), La Rose (to the south), les Mourets (to the north) and St-Jérôme (to the south).It was named after Mitre d’Aix, who was martyred in 466 AD.

Urban and quiet district, Saint Mitre covers an area of 2.6 square kilometres and owns a number of green spaces. Perfect for summer walks with the family, as a couple or with friends.

It occupies a small rocky hillside overlooking a valley between the first foothills of the Massif de l’Etoile, the vento hills and the mounds overlooking Saint-Jerome.The Marseille canal runs through the district.

Small little shops livens up the neighbourhood where the general athmosphere remains particulary peaceful. There are around 8,000 inhabitants, mainly families with at least two children. Saint Mitre has a  nursery for young children, as well as two nursery schools and two secondary schools. The neighbourhood is mainly made up of flats but also includes detached houses with well-kept gardens  by its owners.

Born in 1825, Abbé Antoine Bayle a sacred orator and author of several works, owned a country house in Saint-Mitre. As well as  saying mass, he also contributed to  revitalise the area.  An honorary canon, he was successively elected member of the Academy de Marseille and professor of sacred eloquence at the  Faculté  de Théologie in Aix.

Saint-Mitre - Neighborhood © WG OTLCM (2)Saint-Mitre - Neighborhood © WG OTLCM (2)
©Saint-Mitre - Neighborhood © WG OTLCM (2)
    Saint-Mitre - Church © WG OTLCM (2)Saint-Mitre - Church © WG OTLCM (2)
    ©Saint-Mitre - Church © WG OTLCM (2)

      Mitre d’Aix, a Christian martyr

      Born in 433 in Thessalonica, in Greece, Mitre is a  catholic and Orthodox Saint, honoured on 13 november. According to the legend, he left his family at the age of 24 in order to go to Provence to live a  life of charity and poverty. He became a servant to Arvendus, an Aix roman loan provider who had a debauched life. Willing to take back his master on the right path, Mitre made a  number of remarks to Arvendus about his loose morals. Arvendus, feeling increasingly intimate with his servant, wants to find an excuse to stop seeing him.

      The lender owned a  vineyard  west of the city of Tours, in the district of Saint-Mitre  in Aix- en Provence. He asked his other  servants to wilfully damage his vineyard by picking all the grapes and prossing them into jugs with idea of blaming Mitre. On hearing the  news, Arvendus feigned anger, rushed into his vineyard and was surprised to find that is full of high quality grapes and not a single jug full of wine.

      Accused of witchcraft, Mitre is sent to the dungeon of a Roman tower,  located on the site of the former court’s palace. In 466, he died at the age of 33, decapitated in the courtyard of the Praetorium. Mitre then picked up his own head, held it close to his heart and carried it to the altar of the  church of Notre Dame de la Seds in Aix-en-Provence,  where he became the patron Saint , before dying a martyr’s death.

      On the 23 of April 1113, Saint- Mitre is mentioned in the cartulary of Saint Victor under the  mention Cella Sancti Mitrii. In 1383, Saint-Mitre’s relics were transfered to Saint Sauveur d’Aix- en- Provence Cathedral in which his sarcophagus can be seen. In this place of worship, the artist Nicolas Froment created a work entitled legend de Saint- Mitre dating from between 1470 and 1475. In the early 16th century, Jean Mone created a statue inspired by the legend of Saint- Mitre, in which the martyr holds his head between his hands.

      How to go to Saint-Mitre district ?

      If you want to get to the Saint-Mitre district in Marseille, you can take buses 3 (Métro La Rose – Hauts de Ste Marthe), 5 (Métro La Rose – La Parade), 11 (Métro La Rose – Plateau de la Croix Rouge), 37 (Métro Malpassé – La Batarelle), 42 (Métro 5 Avenues – Dépôt La Rose) or 42T (Métro 5 Avenues – Les Baronnies).

      You can also take the M1 metro line to Malpassé or La Rose station, and continue by bus, bike or on foot to the Saint-Mitre district of Marseille.

      By car, take the A51 motorway and continue on the A7 motorway towards rue Raymonde Martin in Marseille. Take exit 2/Le Merlan and leave the A507 motorway (L2 bypass). Follow avenue Escadrille Normandie Niemen and rue Nicolas Appert towards chemin de Château-Gombert to reach your destination.

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