Cimetière Saint-Pierre
MonumentHidden Treasure
Cimetière Saint-Pierre, located in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.2904, 5.4127
- Mérimée Reference
- PA13000071
In the heart of Marseille's Saint-Pierre cemetery, the Olive tomb is a Moorish jewel, unique in France: Persian ceramics, horseshoe arches and luxurious materials by Pascal-Xavier Coste.
History
In the grounds of the Saint-Pierre cemetery, one of the largest and oldest in Marseille, stands an unusual funerary work: the tomb of the Olive family. Far from the sober neo-Gothic or neo-classical chapels that usually populate the aisles of nineteenth-century French cemeteries, this monument explodes codes by summoning the Orient to the edge of the Mediterranean. Here, architecture speaks the language of the mosques of Egypt and the palaces of Persia, in a city that, by geographic and commercial vocation, has always looked south and east. What makes the Olive Tomb absolutely unique is first and foremost its creator: Pascal-Xavier Coste, one of the most erudite architects of his time from Marseille, who had devoted his youth to meticulously documenting the Islamic architecture of Egypt. Decades after his travels to the Middle East, he drew one last time on this learned repertoire to compose a testamentary, resolutely Orientalist work in which nothing was left to chance. The result is striking: deep-coloured ceramics borrowed from Persian tradition line the surfaces, while the silhouette of the tomb irresistibly evokes the most refined Islamic mausoleums. To visit the Olive Tomb is to experience an unexpected change of scenery. First you wander through the classical alleys of Saint-Pierre cemetery, between cypress trees and middle-class monuments, before suddenly discovering this Moorish architecture that stands out from its surroundings like a travel interlude. The richness of the details demands time: each angle of view reveals a different motif, a glint of ceramic, a subtlety of sculpture. The very setting of Saint-Pierre cemetery adds to the emotion of the visit. Founded in the 19th century on the northern heights of Marseille, it covers several dozen hectares and is in itself an open-air museum of Marseille's funerary sculpture. The Olive tomb is the centrepiece of the museum, a work of art that alone justifies a visit for heritage lovers, art historians or anyone simply seeking to understand the most audacious dreams of the Marseilles bourgeoisie of the Second Empire.
Architecture
The Olive tomb is part of the Orientalist movement that ran through the decorative arts and European architecture of the 19th century, but with a documentary depth that few works can claim. Pascal-Xavier Coste, with his direct experience of Islamic architecture, is not content with a superficial evocation: he has created a funerary edifice with a centred plan, in the style of Islamic mausoleums, whose compact volume is crowned by a dome reminiscent of Ottoman turbés or Mughal tombs. The façade is the monument's true architectural manifesto. Horseshoe arches, characteristic of Hispano-Moorish architecture, frame the entrances and windows. The surfaces are enriched with a rich polychrome ceramic decoration, whose geometric and floral motifs are directly inspired by Persian tiles, particularly those from Safavid Persian monuments that Coste studied in the Orientalist publications of his time. The colours - cobalt blue, turquoise, ochre and white - create a vibrant effect in the Marseille light, giving the whole an exceptional visual presence. Monumentality is the other remarkable quality of this building: oversized in relation to the neighbouring funerary chapels, the Olive tomb asserts by its very mass the symbolic power of the family that commissioned it. The materials used - carefully matched ashlar, imported or custom-made ceramics, sculpted elements of great finesse - bear witness to a considerable budget and a level of craftsmanship that is unrivalled in the Marseille funerary landscape.
Related Figures
Camille Olive — commanditaire bourgeois marseillais du Second Empire, mécène de l'œuvrePascal-Xavier Coste (1787-1879) — architecte marseillais, auteur du tombeau, spécialiste de l'architecture islamiqueMuhammad Ali — vice-roi d'Égypte pour lequel Coste travailla lors de son séjour oriental formateur
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cimetière Saint-Pierre located?
Cimetière Saint-Pierre is located in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Cimetière Saint-Pierre built?
Cimetière Saint-Pierre dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Cimetière Saint-Pierre open to visitors?
Cimetière Saint-Pierre is currently closed to visitors.