Croix de Provence, Mountain cross at Mont Sainte-Victoire, France

The Croix de Provence is an 18.25-metre stone pillar of light grey masonry rising in stacked rectangular sections on the western peak of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, at 946 metres rather than on the Pic des Mouches. A dark metal lattice cross with vertical rods beside its shaft tops the pillar, ringed by a small metal railing; two blank plaques sit on the front face, and a small square open shelter with empty window openings stands at its lower right.

The first cross was raised in the 16th century by a sailor who had vowed to plant a cross on the first mountain he saw after surviving a shipwreck; it was wooden, with two iron anchors at its base. Jean Laurans replaced it in 1785, and a third cross followed in 1842 on the initiative of a law student from Aix. The present cross, the fourth, dates from 1875 and was built at the urging of Father Meissonnier, parish priest of Rousset, to ward off smallpox and the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War.

Four inscriptions are carved on the base, each facing a different city: Latin toward Rome, French toward Paris, Greek toward Marseille and Provençal toward Aix-en-Provence. The Greek text calls the cross a lighthouse for sailors, and the Provençal one asks it to protect Provence. The metal base also holds the names of the subscribers and of the 104 donor parishes of the dioceses of Aix, Arles and Embrun.

The cross stands at 946 m on the western peak, not on the Pic des Mouches (1,011 m), so check which summit your route targets. The 2004 concrete facing forms a bench around the base, giving a 360-degree view over the Provençal landscape. The mistral blows hard at the top, so bring a windproof layer.

The 2004 restoration replaced the old plinth with a stone-coloured reinforced concrete facing that forms a bench running around the base, from which the Provençal landscape can be seen over 360 degrees. Lightning strikes in 2002 and 2003 had damaged the cross so badly that restoration seemed almost impossible for a time.