A stay in Les Milles can centre on remembrance, sacred architectural history and local market life. The most prominent historical site is the Site-Mémorial du Camp des Milles, the only large French internment and deportation camp of its kind that remains intact and open to the public. The Église Sainte-Madeleine offers another perspective through its architectural history and design; the Marché des Milles complements these themes with a food market featuring a variety of stalls. The key to choosing this destination is deciding whether you want to focus primarily on a place of remembrance or on several different aspects of local life.

A Distinct Place of Remembrance

The Site-Mémorial brings the subjects of internment and deportation together in one specific place. As the only large French camp of this kind that remains intact and open to the public, it has a clearly defined historical focus. If you choose Les Milles for this place of remembrance, you can shape your stay around this history. The church and the Chapelle du Serre each add their own architectural and local history to this perspective.

The Architectural History of the Église Sainte-Madeleine

The Église Sainte-Madeleine is well suited to exploring its development over time. The first, simple building was constructed between 1696 and 1702; the extension was completed in 1746. The time span makes the sequence easy to follow: the early building was followed by a period of expansion, completed more than four decades later. Distinctive features include a square bell tower with a campanile and a façade with two sculpted niches. This combination of building phases and specific forms offers two points of reference for an architectural perspective: when the building was constructed and extended, and how its tower and façade were designed. After the French Revolution, the church was refurnished with works of art from various religious buildings in Aix-en-Provence. The building’s development was thus joined by a history of its furnishings, with connections extending beyond Les Milles to Aix-en-Provence.

The Chapelle du Serre and the Tradition of Remembrance

The Chapelle du Serre links post-war architectural history with a recurring tradition of remembrance. It was built in 1946; residents of Les Milles carried stones from a German bunker near the Arc to build it. To commemorate the liberation, residents traditionally gather at the chapel every 21 August at around 6:30 p.m., after laying a wreath at the village war memorial. Check the date for the year of your visit if you would like to plan to attend the gathering.

The Food Market and Choosing Your Focus

The Marché des Milles complements the historical themes with a food market featuring a variety of stalls. This offers a different way to discover Les Milles: the focus here is on the market, rather than a building or a commemorative occasion. The range of stalls may change. If a particular offering is important for your visit, check the current selection in advance. You can plan the market as a point of interest in its own right or as a complement to the cultural themes.

Discover more destinations: Cadolive, Septèmes-Les-Vallons, Le Tholonet, Gardanne, Raphèle-Les-Arles, Saint-Cannat, Belcodène, Puyricard.

For the broader travel overview: Bouches Du Rhone.