Modern-day Marseille's cultural diversity is reflected in the wide variety of religious beliefs of its citizens. 68.2% of people are Catholic.
Contents
Christianity
According to the 2013, 38.2% of Marseille's residents identify themselves as Christian,
Catholicism
The city of Marseille is France's second-largest city with a population of 850,000 in 2010. It is also the fourth-largest port in Europe.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Marseille, is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France. The Archepiscopal see is in the city of Marseille, and the diocese comprises the arrondissement of Marseille, a subdivision of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in the Region of P.A.C.A.
Eastern Orthodox
According to the 2013, 10,000 people of Marseille's residents identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox,
Armenian Apostolic Church
According to the 2013, 80,000 people of Marseille's residents identify themselves as Armenian Apostolic Church,
Judaism
According to the 2013, 80,000 making Marseille the third largest urban Jewish community in Europe Judaism,
Islam
Marseille is France's second-largest city with a population of 850,000 in 2010. It is also the fourth-largest port in Europe.
As official data on religion are generally not collected in France on the principle of secularism ("laïcité"), the precise number of Muslims in Marseille is not available. However, recent research suggests that about one third of the population is Muslim which makes Islam Marseille's largest and most significant minority religion.
Muslims are mostly from Maghreb, Turkey and Comoro Islands. They are particularly concentrated in the North districts ("quartiers Nord"), in the working-class districts of the city.
Second World War
In August 1944, Marseille was liberated from the Germans by the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division, supported by Moroccan Goumiers. The 3rd Algerian Infantry Division, under the command of General de Monsabert, was made up of about 60% North African Muslims (mostly Algerian Tirailleurs). According to John Gimlette, "the North Africans who liberated Marseille still inhabit the city, less now in body than spirit".
Immigration to Marseille
Muslim immigration from the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) started to increase in the 1970s. Marseille's population of Algerian descent is estimated to be at least 150,000. Over the last 30 years, the city has become the main destination for Comorian immigrants. As of 2014, there is approximately 61,700 Turks also living in Marseille.