Saint-Maximin — Basilica & Heritage: private taxi tour

A very short but very intense tour. Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume houses one of the largest Gothic churches in the south of France, begun in 1295 to house the relics of Saint Mary Magdalene, patron saint of Provence. You enter by the south portal, the light falls from the stained-glass windows, and the monumental nave opens before you. I like to take the time to walk around the choir: the carved wooden stalls of the 17th century, the Baroque high altar, the organ of 1773, one of the finest historic instruments in France. Then the crypt: it is here, in a golden reliquary, that the remains attributed to Saint Mary Magdalene are kept. The silence is massive, the emotion palpable even for the less devout. You leave by the adjoining cloister and stroll through the old town: narrow lanes, mansions, the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville with its fountain. Short but intense. Call +33 6 98 46 63 34.