The story
Welcome to the Quartier Mazarin, a place where the chaotic charm of medieval Aix-en-Provence gives way to the discipline and elegance of the seventeenth century. As you stand on the Rue du 4 Septembre, you are walking through a living blueprint of aristocratic ambition. Before 1646, this area was nothing more than open fields and orchards outside the city walls.
That changed when Michel Mazarin, the Archbishop of Aix, decided the city needed to expand. He wasn’t just any clergyman; he was the brother of Cardinal Mazarin, the powerful Chief Minister to the French King. Michel wanted to create a neighborhood that reflected the prestige of his family and the rising power of the Provencal nobility.
Notice the layout of the streets. Unlike the winding, narrow alleys of the old town just a few blocks away, the Quartier Mazarin is built on a strict, symmetrical grid. This was a revolutionary piece of Baroque urban planning.
The Rue du 4 Septembre serves as one of its primary arteries, lined with what the French call Hôtels Particuliers—grand private mansions built for the wealthy magistrates of the Parliament of Provence. Look closely at the stone. It is the Pierre de Calissanne, a local limestone that radiates a warm, honey-colored glow, especially as the late afternoon sun hits the facades.
As you continue your walk, you will arrive at the heart of the district: the Place des Quatre-Dauphins. In the center of this square sits the iconic Fontaine des Quatre-Dauphins, sculpted in 1667 by Jean-Claude Rambot. It is arguably the most beautiful fountain in a city famous for them.
Four stone dolphins, their tails elegantly arched and intertwined, support a central obelisk. In the seventeenth century, the dolphin was a symbol of the French crown, and its presence here was a nod of loyalty to the King. The sound of the water splashing into the circular basin provides a soothing soundtrack to the quiet, dignified atmosphere of the square.
Surrounding you are some of the most prestigious addresses in Aix. Take a moment to admire the massive wooden doors, or porte-cochères, of the surrounding mansions. These were designed wide enough to allow horse-drawn carriages to pass through into private interior courtyards, keeping the aristocrats’ private lives hidden from the street.
One of the most famous is the Hôtel de Boisgelin, which dominates the square with its grand proportions. Today, the Quartier Mazarin remains the most sought-after neighborhood in the city. It is a place of hushed elegance, where the scent of jasmine often spills over high garden walls, inviting you to slow your pace and imagine the clip-clop of hooves on these very stones three hundred years ago.