The Camargue cross, or the cross of Camargue or cross of the gardians, is a

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

for the French region of

Camargue Camargue (, also , , ; oc, label= Provençal, Camarga) is a region of France located south of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône delta. The eastern arm is called the ''Grand Rhône''; the western one is the ''P ...

, created in 1926 by the painter

Hermann-Paul René Georges Hermann-Paul (27 December 1864 – 23 June 1940) was a French artist. He was born in Paris and died in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. He was a well-known illustrator whose work appeared in numerous newspapers and periodicals. His fine art ...

at the request of

Folco de Baroncelli-Javon Folco de Baroncelli-Javon (1 November 1869 – 15 December 1943), was a French writer and cattle farmer. As an influential ''gardian'' (a kind of Provençal cowboy), he is an important figure in the traditional lifestyle and culture of the ...

to represent the "Camargue nation" of herdsmen and fishermen. It embodies the three

theological virtues Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally they have ...

of Christianity:

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

(represented by

tridents A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

gardian A is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the Mexican , the North American cowboy, the Tuscan buttero or the Portuguese . Gardians ride Camargue horses. See also * Camargu ...

s on a Christian cross),

hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

(represented by the

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

ners), and

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

(represented by the

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

The Three Marys The Three Marys (also spelled Maries) are women mentioned in the canonical gospels' narratives of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, several of whom were, or have been considered by Christian tradition, to have been named Mary (the most co ...

Background

The Camargue cross was designed in 1926 by the painter-illustrator Hermann-Paul (1864–1940), at the request of his friend the marquis-writer-manadier Folco de Baroncelli (1869–1943), considered to be the "Inventor" of the Camargue. After having founded the

Nacioun Gardiano The Nacioun gardiano is a maintenance association founded in 1904 in France. Its goal is to "maintain and glorify the costume, customs, and traditions of the country of Arles, the Camargue and the bullfighting countries". History The foundation of ...

association in 1904, to "maintain and glorify the costume, customs and traditions of the country of Arles, the Camargue and the bullfighting countries", he was inspired by the naval anchors to represent with this cross the "Camargue nation" of herdsmen and fishermen. Folco de Baroncelli-Javon

The poet

Joseph d'Arbaud Joseph d'Arbaud (4 October 1874 – 2 March 1950) was a French poet and writer from Provence. He was a leading figure in the Provençal Revival, a literary movement of the nineteenth century. Biography Early life Joseph d'Arbaud was born in an ...

carried a

's trident made in

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

for him by Joseph Barbanson, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

from

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (, lit.: "Saint Marys of the Sea"; Provençal Occitan: ''Li Santi Mario de la Mar'') is the capital of the Camargue ( Provençal Occitan ''Camarga'') in the south of France. It is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône dep ...

, in his workshop at Place de la Révolution (now Place du Grenier à Sel). It was d'Arbaud who suggested replacing the three

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

(on a cross anchory) that were planned with

camargue trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marin ...

s as a symbol of the region. The statue was inaugurated by the Committee of Friends of the Marquis de Baroncelli on July 7, 1926, in

on a platform next to the post office (opposite the current "Grand Large" building). During this celebration, many personalities, including the Marquis de Baroncelli and his friends, were present: the poet

, Rul d'Elly, Maguy Hugo (granddaughter of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

), Madame de la Garanderie,

Fanfonne Guillierme Fanfonne Guillierme born Antoinette Guillierme (October 31, 1895, in Paris and died on January 22, 1989, in Aimargues) was a French manadière. She is known as "the Grande Dame of the Camargue Camargue (, also , , ; oc, label= Provençal, ...

, the family of the owners of ,

Pauline Ménard-Dorian Pauline Ménard-Dorian (21 July 1870 – 24 December 1941) was a French woman of letters and a literary salon hostess of La Belle Époque. Early life and family Pauline Ménard-Dorian was born at the Château du Fraisse on 21 July 1870 to Pau ...

, and her husband, the painter

. The cross was transferred ten years later to the Pont du Mort (or the Maure), at the western entrance to the village on the road to

Aigues-Mortes Aigues-Mortes (; oc, Aigas Mòrtas) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitania region of southern France. The medieval city walls surrounding the city are well preserved. Situated on the junction of the Canal du Rhône à Sète a ...

. After being slightly moved, the original cross was stolen. A copy of the original still stands there. In July 2016, the Camargue cross celebrated its 90th anniversary. It is seen throughout all of Camargue. It is also present in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

(

Notre-Dame de la Garde Notre-Dame de la Garde (literally: Our Lady of the Guard), known to local citizens as ''la Bonne Mère'' (French for 'the Good Mother'), is a Catholic basilica in Marseille, France, and the city's best-known symbol. The site of a popular Assump ...

basilica, , esplanade de la Bonne Mère), in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, in

Istres Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture. Location Istr ...

, and in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

. The town of

Radolfzell Radolfzell am Bodensee is a town in Germany at the western end of Lake Constance approximately 18 km northwest of Konstanz. It is the third largest town, after Constance and Singen, in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg. Rado ...

, Germany, is a twin city with Istres, so the cross can be found there.

Symbolism

The Camargue cross symbolizes the "Camargue Nation" (or "") by associating the symbols of the

fishermen A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreat ...

and Holy Marys of the Camargue. With its elements of early

Christian symbol Christian symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity. It invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas. The symbolism of the early Church was characterized by bei ...

ism, it embodies the three

: *

(represented by

of the

s on a Christian cross); *

(represented by the

, which also represents fishermen); and *

(represented by the symbol of the heart of the Marys of the Sea).

Gallery

2003 saintes croix de gardians Photo 829.jpg, 1930 replica of the first Camargue cross at

File:Croix camarguaise au centre paroissial.jpg,

Saint-Martin-de-Crau Saint-Martin-de-Crau (; Provençal: ''Sant Martin de Crau'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Martinois''. Population Saint-Martin-de-Crau has the lowest population density o ...

File:Entrée de l'église des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.jpg,

Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer The Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer is a Romanesque fortified church built in the 9th century in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence. Dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus and to The Three Marys, it is the subje ...

File:Maison des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.jpg, House of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer File:Méjanes - Croix camarguaise.jpg, File:Croix-camargue-radolfzell.jpg,

File:CroixCamargueCadranSolaire.jpg,

Sundial A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

File:Croce camargue.JPG,

File:Croix camarguaise (Notre-Dame de la Garde de Marseille).jpg ,

Square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...

in front of the

basilica in

, facing the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

File:Flag of Principality of Aigues-Mortes.svg, Flag of

Principality of Aigues-Mortes The Principality of Aigues-Mortes ( French: Principauté d'Aigues-Mortes) is a micronation that claims the city of Aigues-Mortes. It is not recognised by any country or government. Aigues-Mortes was founded in 2010 as a humorous parody of the Pri ...

Citations

General bibliography

* *

External links

{{commons category, Croix camarguaise
Camargue traditions - La Croix. on the Saintes Maries de la Mer Tourist Office website
Camargue