Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baume

The Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baume is a religious hospitality establishment forming part of the Sanctuaire de la Sainte-Baume in the Var department of Provence, France. It sits in the plain at the foot of the Sainte-Baume massif, about a 45-minute walk from the grotto where, by tradition, Mary Magdalene spent the last years of her life. The sanctuary as a whole receives close to 500,000 visitors a year, a portion of whom stay at the hostellerie. The site's hospitality tradition is ancient: a hostel for pilgrims existed near the grotto from around the 5th century, but it was destroyed during the French Revolution. The present hostellerie was rebuilt in the mid-19th century by Father Henri Lacordaire, in the plain below the grotto. Over the 20th century it was entrusted to various religious bodies and repeatedly restored and refitted. Since 2008 it has been run by Dominican friars, and an extension of the Dominican convent is integrated into its buildings to house the brothers. Today the hostellerie offers 180 places in single rooms, double rooms and dormitories, with four rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. Groups can also be lodged in dormitories at the Foyer Saint-Joseph. Guests — pilgrims, couples, families, individual travellers, hikers and students — may join the friars for daily prayer, offices and Mass. The restaurant serves simple family-style cuisine with a single set menu in a dining room seating about 200 people at tables of six to eight; in summer, meals are occasionally served outdoors in the garden. Beyond lodging and dining, the complex includes a chapel, meeting rooms for retreats and conferences, a free-access library, a souvenir shop opposite the hostellerie, and an independent bar-restaurant next to the buildings that welcomes tourists and passing visitors. The chapel, built in stone and brick with a single nave and a cul-de-four choir, is decorated with five large canvases painted between 1911 and 1913 by Frédéric Montenard illustrating episodes in the life of Mary Magdalene. In the 1970s the chapel was converted into a cinema; it was restored as a place of worship in the early 2000s with the return of the Dominicans, and the paintings were reinstalled in the nave. The hostellerie also preserves the 'Portail François Ier', a carved door commissioned and financed by King Francis I after his pilgrimage to the sanctuary, executed by the Aix sculptor Jean Guiramard between 1517 and 1522. After Revolutionary destruction it was dismantled in 1822, later moved and eventually forgotten; it was rediscovered in 1994 and, after restoration at the request of the monuments authority, remounted in the hostellerie's entrance hall just before the chapel. It was classified as a Monument Historique in 1979. Nearby stands the square, ecumenical Oratoire Saint-Dominique, built in 1970 to a design by the architect Thomas Gleb on the site of the former Musée magdaléen. The hostellerie is not a conventional commercial hotel but a non-profit religious hospitality and retreat facility. Its 'product' is accommodation, board, spiritual accompaniment and event space tied to the Sainte-Baume pilgrimage, and it also welcomes young people reflecting on their professional future, with volunteering possibilities for students.

The tradition of hospitality at the Sainte-Baume is very old. A hostel for pilgrims was established near the grotto from around the 5th century, serving those who came to venerate Mary Magdalene, who by tradition ended her life in the cave. This early hostellerie was destroyed during the French Revolution. In the mid-19th century the hostellerie was rebuilt by Father Henri Lacordaire, this time in the plain at the foot of the grotto, about 45 minutes from the place of worship. Over the 20th century the establishment was entrusted to different religious bodies and was regularly restored and refitted. In the 1970s the chapel was converted into a cinema: the wall paintings were taken down and a projection screen was installed in the choir. The Musée magdaléen, which had stood near the hostellerie, was replaced in 1970 by the ecumenical Oratoire Saint-Dominique, designed by the architect Thomas Gleb; the Portail François Ier, which had been kept in that museum under the name 'cheminée François premier', was dismantled again, placed in storage and forgotten. In 1994 the portal was rediscovered and identified by Mme Ortuno and the stonemason Patrick Leroyer. Restored at the request of the monuments historiques, it was remounted in the entrance hall of the hostellerie, just before the chapel. The portal had been classified as a Monument Historique in 1979. At the beginning of the 2000s the chapel was restored as a place of worship with the return of the Dominican friars, and the canvases depicting Mary Magdalene were reinstalled in the nave. Since 2008 the Dominicans have taken charge of the hostellerie, and an extension of the Dominican convent is integrated into its buildings to house the brothers. In 2020 the 4 m² hanging of the Oratoire Saint-Dominique, entitled 'Les noces de l'Agneau', was cleaned and restored. The hostellerie today combines its historic role as a pilgrim hostel with that of a retreat and conference centre, welcoming groups, pilgrims, couples, families, individual travellers, hikers and students, and offering volunteering possibilities for the latter.

• A hostel for pilgrims is established near the grotto of the Sainte-Baume.

• The Portail François Ier is carved by Jean Guiramard of Aix-en-Provence, commissioned by King Francis I.

• The early hostellerie is destroyed during the French Revolution.

• The Portail François Ier is dismantled during the restoration of the grotto.

• The hostellerie is rebuilt by Father Henri Lacordaire in the plain at the foot of the grotto.

• Frédéric Montenard paints five large canvases of the life of Mary Magdalene for the chapel.

• The chapel is converted into a cinema; the wall paintings are taken down.

• The Musée magdaléen is replaced by the ecumenical Oratoire Saint-Dominique, designed by Thomas Gleb.

• The Portail François Ier is classified as a Monument Historique.

• The Portail François Ier is rediscovered and identified by Mme Ortuno and stonemason Patrick Leroyer.

• The chapel is restored as a place of worship with the return of the Dominicans; the Montenard canvases are reinstalled.

• The Dominican friars take charge of the hostellerie.

• The hanging of the Oratoire Saint-Dominique, 'Les noces de l'Agneau', is cleaned and restored.

A non-profit religious hospitality and pilgrimage retreat centre rather than a commercial hotel, offering simple accommodation, board and spiritual life at the Sainte-Baume sanctuary.

• Accommodation (180 places: single rooms, double rooms, dormitories)

• Four rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility

• Foyer Saint-Joseph group dormitories

• Restaurant with single set menu, seating about 200

• Summer outdoor dining in the garden

• Chapel with Montenard paintings

• Oratoire Saint-Dominique (ecumenical oratory)

• Meeting rooms for retreats and conferences

• Free-access library

• Souvenir shop opposite the hostellerie

• Independent bar-restaurant adjacent to the hostellerie

• Volunteering opportunities for students

1. 1Le Sanctuaire de la Sainte-Baumesaintebaume.org
2. 2Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baumewikidata.org
3. 3Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baumefr.wikipedia.org