Discovery of the Gypsy pilgrimage to the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

Today we are leaving for the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to discover a culture still unknown to some: gypsy culture.

In January 2019, the Camargue capital, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, joined the closed circle of “sanctuary cities of France”.An honorary title which underlines the religious and cultural richness of a city, and which could already boast Lourdes, Ars or even Mont-Saint-Michel.

But in the Saintes-Maries, it is a very particular spiritual heritage that one celebrates: that of the Travelers and their saint patron: Sara La Noire.Have you ever seen images of the procession, where the statue of Sara La Noire, wrapped in an opulent dress, is taken from the Church of Saintes-Maries to be immersed in the sea?

This is the highlight of a show that takes place over two days, on May 24 and 25.During these festivities the gypsies spend time with Sara La Noire, as they visit a family member.In addition, if the pilgrimage is naturally associated with gypsy culture, it concerns all the peoples of traveling people: Roma, Bohemians, Yeniches, or even Manouches.

We take you on a trip to discover a unique and festive pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, to better understand this event which brings together thousands of people each year!

A little tour of the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

Before approaching the theme of the spiritual, we are going to familiarize ourselves with the pretty commune of the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, located at the mouth of the Petit-Rhône.There, 2,500 souls live full-time in this picturesque, isolated Camarguais village, hardly larger than a fishing village.

The town is near the Camargue natural park, where the flamingos that make the region renowned.Also, the Saintes-Maries are close to Arles, a city of culture famous for its annual photography festival.

Moreover, the road from Arles aux Saintes-Maries, lasting around 30-40 minutes, is known for its beauty: it crosses rice fields, some swamps, but also bull farming and bulls and bulls parksEquestrian centers.The road also passes through the Camarguais Museum and the Château d'Avignon: two establishments that allow you to better understand the local culture and heritage richness of the Camargue.

The Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer are therefore a sunny and discreet seaside resort, where tourists enjoy walking the old village with cobbled streets and white houses.Because it is all the charm of Provence and the Camargue that makes this place an ideal vacation spot for the summer season.In the Saintes-Maries, no need to bother with a vehicle: let your legs guide you to the seafront, then opt for a horse to enjoy the coast.

You have therefore understood: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a small tourist village in the south of France.However, in certain communities of traveling people, such as gypsies, gypsies, or even Roma, Saintes-Maries are much more than a seaside resort where life is good: it is a sacred place, the last residenceFrom Sara La Noire whose story we are going to tell you a little later ...

The three Maries, Saintes Voyageuses of Palestine

We presented you the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer by voluntarily omitting to talk about his church: because this is where our story really begins.

The Saintes-Maries sanctuary, also known as Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer church, is in the heart of the village.Built in the ninth century (between 1165 and 1170 more precisely), the building first served as a fortress against the different invasions in the Middle Ages.The church indeed has a dungeon, and a facade reminiscent of that of strong castles.His style, formerly a novel, then adapted to the Gothic trend, also echoes at the Palais des Papes d'Avignon located in the region.

If you visit the church, you can browse its three parts: the nave, the chapel and the choir.Take a ride on the roof, where the view of the Mediterranean is hypnotizing.

What makes this unique sanctuary remains the presence of sacred relics: those of two of the three Maries, Marie-Jacobé and Marie-Salomé.The third, Marie-Madeleine, wife of Christ in certain sacred texts, would have moved to different places in Provence.

His relics are therefore not in the sanctuary.On the other hand, a third sacred figure is added to Marie-Jacobé and Marie-Salomé: that of Sara La Noire, a saint with black skin from Haute-Égypt.

The stories of the three Maries and Sara vary according to legends and Gospels.Each story resonates bell sounds from both Provencal traditions and sacred books.The most popular story tells that the Maries would have come from Palestine to the boat with a group of Christians and have failed in the Camargues, where Sara La Noire would have welcomed them, then would have become their servant.

In one of the versions of the Gospel, the three Maries would have been disciples of Jesus who go into exile in Camargue after a threat from the Romans.In addition, another legend says that the three Maries could also represent the three daughters that the grandmother of Jesus, Sainte-Anne, would have had.The latter would have embalmed the body of Christ after his crucifixion.

The three Maries are no exception to the domain of astronomy since in some countries, the “Orion belt” constellation is named after the “very Marias”, paying tribute to them.

In any case, the mystery around their lives, their role in the Catholic religion, and their entry into the heritage of this small Camarguais village therefore remains whole ...

The first pilgrimages

It was ultimately in the Middle Ages that the Pontificate of Avignon designates the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer of sacred place for pilgrimages.Indeed, as early as 1448, King René learned that the relics of the Saintes-Marie are still on the Camarguan coast, not far from the city of Arles.

He orders excavations with the hope of discovering the famous relics: it would be a "coronation", but also a lucrative opportunity to make this small coastal hamlet a place of pilgrimage.The relics are finally discovered in the very place where the crypt is currently located.In addition, during their research, the workers of the time report having found a human head, bones and some pottery.

After the discovery, the relics of the Saintes-Maries are installed in steles, in the heart of the church.The bones would have been placed in a reliquary for the two Maries, and in a simple box for Sara.At that time, it is finally decided that Marie-Jacobé will be celebrated on May 25, Marie-Salomé on October 22, then the two Saintes without distinction on December 3.

The Saintes-Maries being located on the way to Saint Jacques de Compostela, the pilgrims flock en masse at the end of the Middle Ages to pray.However, the French Revolution, then the big diseases and the extreme misery stop pilgrimages.The spirituality of the place is ultimately abandoned for the benefit of seaside tourism.

The pilgrimages gradually resumed in the 19th century with the addition of a new date of religious celebration: that of May 24.It is indeed decided that on this date, Sara La Noire, the servant of the Maries, will ultimately be celebrated.His worship therefore began in the 1800s and at the same time marked the arrival of travel people in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

The cult of traveling people upsets traditions

For traveling people, whose roots go back to India around the 10th century, Sara La Noire would be the Indian goddess of life and death: Kâli.Sara La Noire, or Sara La Kâli would ultimately be her Christianized form.If Kâli is celebrated in certain communities in India, the origins of the cult of Sara La Noire for gypsies remain vague.

Let's go back to the Saintes-Maries, to understand how the town has become a place of pilgrimage for traveling people, even beyond national borders.Gypsies, Gypsies, Yeniches, Manouches, Bohemians or Roma are international peoples and communities, especially present in Europe since the 15th century.They are characterized by their roaming, but also by their folklore and their beliefs.

If they pray "differently" from the Catholics of the time, it is this religion that animated them and which will lead them to the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer at the end of the 19th century.

Thus, from the 19th century, the first gypsies' first pilgrims arrived from all over Europe to celebrate their patron saint, Sara La Noire, whose plaster statue was exhibited on the altar of the Church of Saintes-Maries.Their arrival is not well seen from the locals, or other pilgrims elsewhere.All note that these "funny believers" sleep in the church at night, an act deemed blasphemous.

On the one hand, we are concerned about their "lifestyle" and their "confusing aspect", to use the testimonies of the time.Others see with a bad eye the exuberant devotion of these pilgrims who kiss Sara, cry, sing hymns, go into a trance.In short, according to the priest of the time, "they do too much" to be real Catholics.

In addition, most believers believe that Sara La Noire should not be recognized as an equal of the Saintes-Maries, since she is ultimately only their servant.Apart from the community of traveling people, devotion to Sara is generally poorly understood.

From the 1850s to the 1950s, several laws attempted to ban the presence of gypsies in the Saintes-Maries.It was ultimately thanks to the intervention of a Camargue Marquis, Baroncelli, a fervent defender of the Gypsies, that they are accepted.Baroncelli believes that this unique pilgrimage alone has the power to energize tourism at the Saintes-Maries.Like King René in another era, Baroncelli sees this manifestation an opportunity for dynamism at the Saintes-Maries and therefore committed so that the cult of Sara La Noire is recognized as such in the midst of traditional Provencal Catholic cults.

The result is a battle won for the gypsies, since the procession of Sara La Noire to the sea becomes an official event authorized on May 24, 1935.

Spirituality, sacred procession and festivities

Since these thousand and one adventures, the pilgrimage of the Gypsies to the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is an annual event which brings together between ten thousand to fifteen thousand gypsies from all over Europe, like their ancestors before them.The pilgrims, of all ages and all generations, then go to the church, candles by hand, singing, praying.

Sara awaits them wisely on May 24 and 25 of each year, sitting cool in her crypt.She is waiting to be venerated and to be worn to the sea, her annual water and crowd bath, her sacred procession.The Grail for each pilgrim: touching Sara's set by making a wish.

On May 24 and 25, gypsy music and the sounds of flamenco punctuate life in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.The event is also a color festival: men dressed in traditional clothes, with gold chains around the neck and other flashy jewelry.Women, on the other hand, wear elegant and colorful dresses, with a hat or flowers in their hair.

The pilgrimage is an opportunity to celebrate the owner, yes, but also to give a spotlight on the different facets of gypsies, Manouches, Gypsies or even Roma, which are often associated with prejudices and victims of discrimination.The expressive and intoxicating staging rubs shoulders with the spontaneous prayers, bursts of joy and emotion.

Also, the craft of traveling people is highlighted during the event.The street vendors offer knives, furniture, blankets, jewelry with the image of Sara, decorated with Catholic cross or miniature guitars hanging on gold chains.Some more unusual objects attract attention as giant pots that symbolize friendly and shared cuisine, hooves for caravan life, or even female jogging, a "unmissable traveler" according to one of the sellers.

"When you came once, you always want to come back" shares a pilgrim.And we want to believe it.Religious or not, visiting the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer during the pilgrimage Gitan represents the opportunity to discover the culture of travel people and to explore a spiritual heritage that has crossed the ages.

It is also an opportunity to meet Sara La Noire, unifying, goddess for some, holy for others.Do not hesitate to whisper your dearest wish in the ear by touching up her dress, you may have some surprises ...