For 800 years, Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde - whose pointed silhouette stands out in the light of the rising sun - has watched over the inhabitants of Marseille and the sailors setting out to sea. The basilica, built on the 528 ft (161 m) high La Garde hill, culminates at 740.4 ft (225.70 m) above sea level, a height that only the limestone massifs of L'Étoile and the Garlaban in the background have the right to exceed.