Neuve Sainte Catherine

Their story.

When this road was created in 1685, a chapel had existed since 1214 under this name, at the current corner of rue Saintes and rue Fort-Notre Dame. It was built in 1685 for the extension of the Arsenal. A rue Sainte Catherine already existed in the old city. In order to differentiate it, the term Neuve was added. In the past, there was a fountain-washhouse here called Fontaine des Chantiers.

Named after Marseille, the santon provençal is a small earthen character whose tradition is pleased to depict the little people of yesteryear, with its characters and its métiers sometimes still current. Our santons are also a historical trace in the details of the clothes, the accuracy of the accessories… It is here that Marcel Carbonel marked his time by making the santon evolve, by bringing him a style unanimously recognized, by privileging the respect of the tail, by adorning it with bright and delicate colors. The family business, with its four generations of santon makers, continues this work begun in 1935.