Sainte-Marthe, Royal collegiate church in Tarascon, France

Sainte-Marthe is a Romanesque church in Tarascon, built from the 11th to 12th centuries and reworked in the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries. Its south portal has a 12th-century archivolte with egg-and-dart moulding and a false gallery above, supported by corbels carved with eagles, donkey heads and rams. The crypt, rebuilt in the 17th century, holds a pre-Romanesque altar and the tomb of Saint Martha.

Construction began in the 12th century with a dedication in 1197, followed by expansions in the 14th and 15th centuries that added Gothic elements. These building phases show how the church developed from a simple structure into a more complex sanctuary over time.

Local tradition says Martha of Bethany arrived from Palestine with the Three Marys and tamed the Tarasque, a monster that terrorised Tarascon. Her tomb in the crypt made the church a pilgrimage site, and in 1482 Louis XI raised it to the rank of royal collegiate church.

Access to both levels of the building, the ancient crypt and the upper church section, is available for visitors to explore at their own pace. Wear comfortable shoes, as stairs leading down to the crypt are narrow and steep.

The organ case is the only polychrome one known from builder Charles Boisselin, and it is counted among the finest Louis XIV-style cases in Provence. Organ builders Marchand, Boisselin, the Isnards and Moitessier worked on the instrument in turn.