Sainte-Victoire: Climbing Cézanne's Mountain
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
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Croix de Provence
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300
XP
+100 France
= 400 total
1 day
Sainte-Victoire: Climbing Cézanne's Mountain
300 + 100 XP
Sainte-Victoire rises east of Aix-en-Provence and is known around the world because Cézanne made it the subject of some eighty works. The massif tops out at the Pic des Mouches, 1,011m for the IGN, near its eastern end, while the Croix de Provence at 946m near the western end is the one visible from Aix. A fire destroyed more than 5,000 hectares of the south face between 28 and 31 August 1989, and access to the mountain is largely forbidden in summer.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Climb to the Croix de Provence at 946 m and stand under the 19 m cross put up in 1875 — the fourth on that spur, with traces of the earlier ones going back to the 16th century — then drop to the priory built below it around the 1657 chapel of Notre-Dame de la Victoire
2
of 4
Walk the crest east to the Pic des Mouches at 1,011 m and settle the argument on the ground: this, not the Croix de Provence 65 m lower at the other end, is the summit of the massif
3
of 4
Drive the 4.7 km of the Route Cézanne, the D17 between Aix-en-Provence and Le Tholonet, that was given its own protection by the Malraux decree of 1959 and lost it again in 2016, and pick out the distant views of the mountain it was classified for
4
of 4
Go up to Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon on the south face, find the Maison Sainte-Victoire ecomuseum in the village's old piggery, and the sheepfold where, on John Rewald's account, Cézanne stayed when he came to paint the mountain
Climb to the Croix de Provence at 946 m and stand under the 19 m cross put up in 1875 — the fourth on that spur, with traces of the earlier ones going back to the 16th century — then drop to the priory built below it around the 1657 chapel of Notre-Dame de la Victoire
Walk the crest east to the Pic des Mouches at 1,011 m and settle the argument on the ground: this, not the Croix de Provence 65 m lower at the other end, is the summit of the massif
Drive the 4.7 km of the Route Cézanne, the D17 between Aix-en-Provence and Le Tholonet, that was given its own protection by the Malraux decree of 1959 and lost it again in 2016, and pick out the distant views of the mountain it was classified for
Go up to Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon on the south face, find the Maison Sainte-Victoire ecomuseum in the village's old piggery, and the sheepfold where, on John Rewald's account, Cézanne stayed when he came to paint the mountain
Before you go
Access to the massif is largely forbidden in summer because of fire risk, and parts of it close for Bonelli's eagle nesting season — check the day's authorised access with the Grand Site Sainte-Victoire or the Bouches-du-Rhône department before setting out. There is no water on the ridge and the south face has little shade since the 1989 fire.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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