Marseille Cathedral

The Marseille Cathedral features alternating bands of green Florence marble and white Carrara marble. This striped exterior makes the building stand out against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea. Napoleon the third laid the first stone in eighteen fifty-two, aiming to assert French influence over the Mediterranean. During construction, workers discovered the foundations of a fifth century baptistery buried beneath the site. Rather than clearing the ruins, the architects incorporated the ancient remains into the new cathedral floor plan.