Oil Painting of Marseille

Marseille, the oldest city in France, founded by Greek settlers from Phocaea way before Jesus was even a twinkle in Mary's eye. This is a lovely seaside scene painted in the 1970s, looking across the dappled water of the port back towards the Notre-Dame de La Garde or "la Bonne Mère" as the locals fondly refer to it. Carved from limestone on an ancient fort, if you look very closely at this stunning Romanesque basilica, you might just make out atop its belfry a very large and impressive gilded statue of Madonna and child. Back when they knew how to build and council red tape hadn't been invented.