Vierge dorée, Gilded Marian column on Boulevard Voltaire, 1st arrondissement, Marseille, France

The Vierge dorée is a three-metre gilded lead-alloy statue of the crowned Virgin holding the child, standing on a golden globe that crushes a serpent. The globe tops a white Carrara marble column with a four-faced carved capital and circular medallions on its shaft, set on a Crussol stone pedestal bearing a Latin dedication. Two candelabras flank the ensemble before a semicircular wall and wrought-iron grille.

French architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu designed this work in the 19th century as part of his artistic contributions to Marseille's urban development. The monument reflects the importance placed on religious artworks within the city's landscape during that era.

The Virgin holds a lily, symbol of purity, and crushes a serpent beneath her feet. The pedestal bears a Latin dedication naming Bishop Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod and the clergy and people of Marseille, dated 1857. The statue is gilded lead, the column Carrara marble, the pedestal Crussol stone.

The work sits at a central location in the First District and is easily reached on foot from nearby streets. Visitors should plan their visit during late morning or afternoon hours when light makes the gilded details most visible.

The statue is a lead alloy gilded with gold leaf, not solid gold, and stands 3 metres tall on a Carrara marble column. The pedestal is in Crussol stone and carries a Latin dedication naming Bishop Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod and the date 1857.