Committee of Old Marseille

The Comité du Vieux-Marseille (Committee of Old Marseille) is a French association founded in 1911 and recognized as being of public utility in 1924. Its stated purpose is the defence and illustration of the heritage of Marseille and its terroir. It was created in the orbit of the Félibrige movement by a group of Marseillais who wanted to open a 'Marseille museum' devoted to Provençal life and traditions. Support from the mayors of Marseille and from prominent local families brought numerous donations, including a collection of rare and ancient objects relating to fishermen's cooking bequeathed by the association Lou Cremascle. Until 1939 the association was housed in the 'pavillon du musée' in the Parc Chanot, where its collections were exhibited; they quickly became the second most important ethnographic collection in France after the Musée Arlaten. During the Second World War the collections were put in safekeeping, escaping destruction in the bombing of the city, and the museum premises were occupied successively by German, American and French forces. Exhibitions resumed in 1947. In 1949 the association Art et Charité donated the Maison Diamantée to the Comité; management difficulties later led it to transfer the building, collections and library to the City of Marseille in 1962 under a 30-year emphyteutic lease, and the city installed the collections there in 1967 as the Musée du Vieux Marseille. From 1970, under the impetus of Adrien Blés, a new board redirected the association's activities towards heritage preservation, guided tours of the city and conferences aimed at promoting Marseille. Since 1995 the Comité has been based at 21, boulevard Longchamp. It organizes conferences at the Alcazar on the history and heritage of Marseille, bringing together authors, musicians, filmmakers and researchers, as well as exhibitions and film screenings in its own premises. Since 1992 it has held the annual Carré des écrivains, a literary event at which authors writing about Marseille present and sign their books, and since 2002 it has awarded the Prix des Marseillais to a book published during the year. Every two years it awards the Trophée Protis for a work or action that highlights, defends or promotes Marseille heritage in its many forms. It also runs guided city tours, publishes works on Marseille heritage (notably the Cahiers du Comité), offers Provençal language and theatre courses and a Marseille-speech workshop, and maintains a local-history library and a Provençal library for its members. On 12 September 2022 it opened a cultural space in the Centre Bourse, where it presents thematic exhibitions and its publications. The Comité is a membership association rather than a commercial company, but it operates as a brand-like cultural publisher and event organizer: it sells its own books and publications, runs a bookshop-style cultural space, and its name functions as a mark of authority on Marseille heritage. Its website announces publications, monthly programmes of conferences, and news of new books such as works on the 'costes' of Marseille and on the Vieux-Port.

The Comité du Vieux-Marseille was founded in 1911, in the orbit of the Félibrige movement, by a group of Marseillais who wanted to open a 'Marseille museum' dedicated to the life and traditions of Provence. The project attracted the support of the mayors of Marseille and of the city's great families, which in turn encouraged numerous donations. Among them was a collection of rare and ancient objects relating to fishermen's cooking, bequeathed by the association Lou Cremascle (the pot-hanger). Until 1939 the association was housed in the 'pavillon du musée' in the Parc Chanot, where its collections were displayed. These collections quickly became the second most important of their kind in France, after the Musée Arlaten, for the interest of their ethnographic holdings. In 1924 the association was recognized as being of public utility (reconnue d'utilité publique). During the Second World War (1939–1945) the collections were placed in safekeeping, which saved them from destruction during the bombing of the city. The museum premises were occupied successively by the German, American and then French armies. In 1947 the museum was able to exhibit its collections again. In 1949 the association Art et Charité donated the Maison Diamantée to the Comité du Vieux-Marseille. Management difficulties, however, led the Comité to transfer the building, the collections and the library to the City of Marseille in 1962, by a 30-year emphyteutic lease; the city installed the collections there in 1967, creating the Musée du Vieux Marseille. From 1970, a new board of directors, under the impetus of Adrien Blés, redirected the association's activities towards the safeguarding of heritage, guided tours of the city and conferences, with the aim of promoting Marseille. Since 1995 the Comité has been installed at 21, boulevard Longchamp. In its contemporary form the Comité organizes conferences at the Alcazar devoted to the history of Marseille and its heritage, enabling encounters with authors, musicians, filmmakers and researchers. It holds exhibitions and film screenings in its own premises, accompanied by talks on the discovery of Marseille, its history and its neighbourhoods. Since 1992 it has organized each year the Carré des écrivains, a major literary event at which authors writing about Marseille present and sign their books; since 2002 the Prix des Marseillais has been awarded to a book published during the year. Every two years the Trophée Protis is awarded to a work or action that highlights, defends or promotes Marseille heritage in its most diverse forms: history, art, architecture, music, theatre, traditions. The Comité also offers guided city tours covering the main monuments as well as lesser-known heritage, from the Panier district to Notre-Dame de la Garde, from the crypts of Saint-Victor to the quay of the Vieux-Port and along the lines of the old city walls. It publishes works relating to the heritage of Marseille and its terroir, written by its members or by people outside the association, notably the Cahiers du Comité. Members can take courses in the Provençal language and theatre, and a workshop on Marseille speech. The Comité also makes available to its members a local-history library and a Provençal library. On 12 September 2022 it opened a cultural space within the Centre Bourse, where it presents thematic exhibitions and its publications. The association also works through commissions. The commission for cultural, artistic and architectural heritage handles requests for the restoration and listing of buildings, their furniture and decoration; for example it inventoried all the ex-votos of Notre-Dame de Nazareth (in Saint-Marcel) in order to obtain their restoration and the listing of the church. The commission for scientific, industrial and water heritage deals with related issues.

• 2022

  On 12 September the Comité opens a cultural space in the Centre Bourse.

• 2002

  The Prix des Marseillais is first awarded to a book published during the year.

• 1995

  The Comité is installed at 21, boulevard Longchamp.

• 1992

  The Comité begins organizing the annual Carré des écrivains literary event.

• 1970

  A new board under Adrien Blés redirects activities towards heritage preservation, guided tours and conferences.

• 1967

  The City of Marseille installs the collections in the Maison Diamantée as the Musée du Vieux Marseille.

• 1962

  The Comité transfers the building, collections and library to the City of Marseille by a 30-year emphyteutic lease.

• 1949

  The association Art et Charité donates the Maison Diamantée to the Comité du Vieux-Marseille.

• 1947

  After the war, the museum can exhibit its collections again.

• 1939

  The association is housed until this year in the 'pavillon du musée' in the Parc Chanot.

• 1924

  The association is recognized as being of public utility.

• 1911

  The Comité du Vieux-Marseille is founded by a group of Marseillais in the orbit of the Félibrige movement, to open a 'Marseille museum' of Provençal life and traditions.

A heritage association and cultural publisher acting as an authoritative voice on the history, traditions and patrimony of Marseille and its terroir.

• Cahiers du Comité

  Publications of works relating to the heritage of Marseille and its terroir, written by members or outside authors.

• Les 'costes' de Marseille

  A new publication announced by the Comité, on sale from 17 August.

• Le Vieux-Port, d'une rive à l'autre

  A book published by the Comité on 18 November 2025, later complemented by a further book.

1. 1Accueil - Comité du Vieux-Marseillecomiteduvieuxmarseille.net
2. 2Comité du Vieux-Marseillewikidata.org
3. 3Comité du Vieux-Marseillefr.wikipedia.org