The Monument to the Heroes and Victims of the Sea stands in the gardens of the Palais du Pharo, facing the sea and Fort Saint-Jean. It pays tribute to sailors lost at sea, whether fishermen, merchant seamen, or naval officers.

The sculpture, created by Marseille artist André Alexandre Verdilhan, depicts three sailors caught in a storm: one stands upright, raising his arm as if calling for help while supporting a weakened comrade; a third is swept away by a wave threatening to overturn their small boat. The work powerfully conveys the danger, courage, and solidarity of seafaring life.

The monument was inaugurated on July 14, 1923. Its history is unusual: an earlier project by another sculptor was rejected by the sailors, and the outbreak of World War I delayed Verdilhan’s final work.

Now listed as a historic monument, it impresses both by its dramatic intensity and by the exceptional view it offers over the Marseille harbor. A moving and unmissable stop on any walk around the Pharo.