La Couronne, Bouches-du-Rhône
Encyclopedia
La Couronne is a village in the south of France
on the Côte Bleue
on the Mediterranean coast, notable for its ancient quarries and lighthouses.
in the Bouches-du-Rhône
département in the south of France
. It is situated on the Côte Bleue
on the Mediterranean coast. Primarily a bathing resort, on the small coastal railway line connecting Martigues and Marseille
, it is also known for the ancient quarries
and lighthouse
s on nearby Cap Couronne.
Cap Couronne was well known to seafarers in antiquity as the most extreme promontory between the Bay of Marseille and the Bay of Fos-sur-Mer
.
The first manned square lighthouse, 11.6 m high, was constructed in 1867 and dismantled in 1963, following the construction of an unmanned circular lighthouse, 33 m high, in 1959.
The stone quarries were already mentioned by the Greek historian Strabo
; their remains can now be seen on the shoreline, due to rises in the sea level. Archaeological excavations of an Iron age
village suggest that quarrying began in the sixth century BC. The molasse
stone was used in Hellenistic Massalia for both the quays and the ramparts.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on the Côte Bleue
Côte Bleue
The Côte Bleue is part of Provence's southwestern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching from Marseilles to the Étang de Berre....
on the Mediterranean coast, notable for its ancient quarries and lighthouses.
Description
La Couronne, formerly known as Queyroun, is a village in the commune of MartiguesMartigues
Martigues is a commune northwest of Marseille. It is part of the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte....
in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
département in the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is situated on the Côte Bleue
Côte Bleue
The Côte Bleue is part of Provence's southwestern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching from Marseilles to the Étang de Berre....
on the Mediterranean coast. Primarily a bathing resort, on the small coastal railway line connecting Martigues and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, it is also known for the ancient quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s on nearby Cap Couronne.
Cap Couronne was well known to seafarers in antiquity as the most extreme promontory between the Bay of Marseille and the Bay of Fos-sur-Mer
Fos-sur-Mer
Fos-sur-Mer is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:Fos-sur-Mer is situated about north west of Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast, and to the west of the Étang de Berre. The city has of sand beach.-Population:...
.
The first manned square lighthouse, 11.6 m high, was constructed in 1867 and dismantled in 1963, following the construction of an unmanned circular lighthouse, 33 m high, in 1959.
The stone quarries were already mentioned by the Greek historian Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
; their remains can now be seen on the shoreline, due to rises in the sea level. Archaeological excavations of an Iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
village suggest that quarrying began in the sixth century BC. The molasse
Molasse
The term "molasse" refers to the sandstones, shales and conglomerates formed as terrestrial or shallow marine deposits in front of rising mountain chains. The molasse is deposited in a foreland basin, especially on top of flysch, for example that left from the rising Alps, or erosion in the Himalaya...
stone was used in Hellenistic Massalia for both the quays and the ramparts.
External links
- http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/merimee_fr?ACTION=RETROUVER&FIELD_1=cmer1&VALUE_1=bouches%20du%20Rhone&FIELD_2=cmer4&VALUE_2=phare&FIELD_3=cmer5&VALUE_3=&FIELD_4=AUTR&VALUE_4=&FIELD_5=cmer2&VALUE_5=&FIELD_6=titre&VALUE_6=&FIELD_7=date%20protection&VALUE_7=&FIELD_8=DOSURLP&VALUE_8=%20&NUMBER=7&GRP=0&REQ=%28%28bouches%20du%20Rhone%29%20%3aLOCA%2cPLOC%2cINSEE%20%20ET%20%20%28%28phare%29%20%3aDENO%2cPARN%2cREMA%2cACTU%2cPDEN%2cMHPP%20%29%29&USRNAME=nobody&USRPWD=4%24%2534P&SPEC=9&SYN=1&IMLY=&MAX1=1&MAX2=100&MAX3=100&DOM=TousCap Couronne, Official register of French lighthouses]
- Photos of the beach at le Verdon
- The Côte Bleue Marine Reservation
- The railway station at La Couronne
- Diving on the Côte Bleue