The other Roman monument lies at a little distance, and although smaller is almost as interesting. It has attracted the attention of curious archæological investigators, who have deduced a variety of origins for this stone; some making it an ancient sacrificial altar, others a simple monument to a man and his wife, probably Caius Marius and Julia.
Les Baux has finished its brilliant career, and it seems fitting that its castle, churches, convents, and mansions should crumble and mingle with the dust of centuries, vanishing from man’s sight along with the jousts and tourneys, “Courts of Love,” gorgeous processions, Saints’ day celebrations, picturesque midnight masses, and all the showy properties of its once romantic stage.
MONTMAJOUR
V
MONTMAJOUR
Montmajour, or Montmajor as it is often spelt, stands upon a rocky elevation rising out of the extensive flat plain of La Crau. Its situation is unique, and was selected away back in the time when the lands surrounding it were covered with water, and the only means of access was by boats or rafts. Although the antiquity of the site of the monastery built upon this erstwhile island is undoubted, the exact date of the Church and Chapel which constitute the older parts of the group of buildings there to-day, have been the subject of much debate and controversy.
For years, nay for centuries, the famous Chapel of the “Holy Cross” was regarded as a building of the eighth century, the exact date of its construction being A.D. 779. The authority given was a Latin inscription now almost illegible, setting forth how the church was built and dedicated by Charlemagne to commemorate his great victory over the Saracens, and further recording that the rebuilding by him of the Abbey of Montmajour was another token of gratitude. Another inscription (more legible) reads, “Many of the Franks who perished in the combat repose in the chapel of the Monastery.... Brothers, pray for them.” The inscription refers, of course, to the Saracenic invasions of Provence A.D. 732 and 797, the earlier one repulsed by Charles Martel, and the latter by his grandson Charlemagne. This inscription has, however, to be ignored and regarded as the work of zealous monks at a much later date, anxious to add to the lustre of their monastery, and not too scrupulous in accepting traditions which gave this chapel a celebrity and antiquity wholly undeserved.
