The plague of 1720 was the last major epidemic of this type in France. It broke out in Marseille with the arrival of the Grand Saint-Antoine in May 1720 (a Marseille ship returning from the Echelles du Levant). The plague spread rapidly throughout Provence and lasted about 2 years. The number of victims is estimated at 40,000 for Marseille and 50,000 for the city and region included, or about half the population. In Provence, the number of deaths is estimated
to 120,000.
In 1987, the Marseille History Museum evoked the plague of 1720 with the exhibition “Living in quarantine in the ports of Marseille in the 17th and 18th centuries”. The underwater archaeological excavations of the port of Pomègues (known as the “quarantine port” in the 1980s) entrusted to the ARHA (Association de Recherches Historiques)
and Archaeological), directed by Michel Goury, were at the origin of this project.
300 years after the epidemic, it seems essential to revisit this event which still marks the collective memory.
This new exhibition retraces the history of the 1720 plague through the daily lives of the people of Marseille, from the arrival of the Great Saint-Antoine to the relapse of 1722 in the city and its surrounding areas. It focuses on the interventions of public authorities, religious authorities, and the medical world, and their impact on the daily lives of the inhabitants. It concludes with a section devoted to the city's rebirth.
Around a hundred objects are presented: works of art (paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, etc.), archaeological objects, posters, models, maps, archival documents, manuscripts, videos, sound resources and film screenings.