Sainte-Réparate Cathedral

Rossetti Square exudes an Italian charm, Ochre facades, flower-filled balconies, ancient fountain and cafés : it sure feels as if you were there! Saint – Reparate is the cathedral’s patron saint. She also is the one of Florence, and several other Italian cities. According to legend, this saint was a young lady from Caesarea in Palestine. She died during the 3rd century, persecuted by Romans. Her body was placed onto a rowboat and pulled by Angels to Nice. Hence the name “Baie des Anges”, meaning the bay of Angels ! In the 11th century, they built a chapel at the base of the hill, to house the remains of the Saint. In turn the chapel became a church, and then a cathedral in 1590. As the population grew, the church was expanded accordingly. However, due to a lack of funds, construction took centuries to finish. The arch even fell down in 1658 causing the death of Nice’s bishop. The cathedral was only fully completed in 1899, and renovated with care between 2009 and 2015. Do you see the 4 statues on the wall? They are the 4 bishops who founded the church. It is open to public and is considered to be a Baroque masterpiece! It is the seat of Nice’s diocese and is labelled as Cultural Property since 1906.