Quartier Mazarin

The Quartier Mazarin is the part of Aix-en-Provence that lies south of the Cours Mirabeau, and it feels different from the old town on the other side. The streets are straight and run at right angles to one another, the houses are tall and regular, and the squares are small and shaded. The reason is that this quarter was planned, not allowed to grow. It was laid out in the mid-seventeenth century under Michel Mazarin, the archbishop of Aix and the brother of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin, who was the chief minister of France. The plan gave the city an elegant new district for the nobility and the parliamentary class, and the grid still gives the quarter a calm and ordered character.

The finest buildings are the town houses, known as hôtels particuliers, built for judges, officials and wealthy families in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They have carved stone doorways, wrought-iron balconies, courtyards and grand staircases, and many have fine details such as sculpted heads and decorative masks. A few have been converted into museums and cultural centres, such as the Hôtel de Caumont, an eighteenth-century mansion now an arts centre with exhibitions and gardens. The street names recall the notables of the time. On warm days, the shuttered facades in warm ochre and cream tones give the streets a soft, golden light.

The Place des Quatre-Dauphins, a small square with a fountain of four dolphins from the seventeenth century, is the centre of the quarter and one of its prettiest corners. Nearby is the Église Saint-Jean-de-Malte, a fine Gothic church that once belonged to the Knights of Malta and is among the earliest Gothic churches in Provence. The Musée Granet, the city's main fine-arts museum, which holds paintings from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, including works connected to Cézanne, stands next to it in a former priory of the Order of Malta.

The quarter is quieter than the old town and the cours, so it makes a good place to wander after the busy streets by the cathedral and the market. Cafés and restaurants occupy small squares, and antique shops and galleries line some streets. In the evening, the quarter is peaceful, with lights glowing on the stone facades.

Aix itself offers many other sights. The Cours Mirabeau, a long tree-lined avenue with fountains, marks the edge of the quarter, and the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, the Atelier de Cézanne, the Jardin des Arènes and the Marché d'Aix-en-Provence are within a short walk or ride. Day trips lead to the Château de la Barben and to the Luberon.

The Quartier Mazarin suits architecture lovers, museum visitors and anyone who likes to wander without a plan. Streets are public and free to explore.