The discovery of Early Christian mosaics at the foot of the Marseille Cathedral

In 1852, during the construction of the New Marseille Cathedral (Nouvelle Major), buildings of the ancient church and the Early Christian baptistery of the 5th century were revealed. 
Destroyed in the 19^th century, these remains are now known only through plans and drawings of the decorations published in 1905 by F. Roustan.

Today, a beautiful, 5th century mosaic, preserved over 15 m², has just been uncovered. It could belong to the Episcopal Palace. This discovery is very similar to the decorated floors discovered in 1994, which have been conserved in situ inside the Old Marseille Cathedral (Vieille Major).

A parish cemetery in activity from the 12^th century to the Modern era is now being excavated. The majority of the bodies were buried in oriented graves. Several mass graves, in which the dead were deposited with no particular organization, date to the 18th century. They attest to an epidemic crisis whose origin remains to be determined (the plague of 1720, cholera?). 

The excavation will likely continue with the exploration of earlier Greek and Roman urban occupations. According to data collected during preceding excavations, the quarter would have been established during the 5^th and 4^th centuries BC.​