Place Mirabeau

It was named Place de L'Arénier by the members of Félibrige because of its shape which is reminiscent of a spider whose legs are said to be the radiant streets. The “Martigues in color” project was set up in 1988, the municipality subsidized the rehabilitation of the facades of the old center, in particular that of a mansion on the square. Here, we found a Celtic Ligurian village of around one hectare. With its colorful facades, it caught the eye of the painter Marguerite Nadal who represents it in two of her paintings: Place Mirabeau and Au coin de ma rue.

Place Mirabeau is a collection of beautiful bourgeois houses. There is a fountain dating from the 17th century, renovated in 1997 and brought from the Jonquières district. It replaced the pump fountain which had been in place since 1947.

If you look up, you will see a century-old cicada sculpted on the ridge of the corner of Rue du Jeu de Paume. 60 centimeters long, this emblematic symbol of Provence is certainly due to the skill of a carpenter sensitive to a fashion effect. It was in fact, around 1895 (at the same time) that the Aubagne workshops made the first ceramic cicadas.