Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice

Nice

Legend tells that one day, without a breath of wind, a boat with no crew came ashore on the beach at Nice, pushed by the great white wings of angels; it carried, lying beneath flowers, a young martyr from Caesarea in Palestine, Reparata, and the bay is said to have earned from it its name, the Baie des Anges. History, for its part, records that in 1078 Raimbald Rostagni brought back relics of the saint from Rome and founded an oratory at the foot of the castle. The priory that grew from it, a possession of the Abbey of Saint-Pons, became a parish in 1246. Meanwhile, the old cathedral on the hill was gradually becoming enclosed within the fortifications of the Dukes of Savoy: the bishop's see was eventually transferred to the lower town, and in 1590 Sainte-Réparate was recognised as a “chiesa-cattedrale”. Judged too small, it was rebuilt from 7 January 1650 by the Nice military engineer Jean-André Guiberto, on the model of Santa Susanna in Rome. The building work had its tragedy: on 18 September 1658, the nave vault collapsed in front of Bishop Didier Palletis, who had commissioned the building; injured in the head, he died a few hours later. Work did not resume until 1673 under Bishop Henri Provana de Leyni, who consecrated the church in 1699. Inside, everything is Baroque, stucco, marble and gilding; the ten chapels belonged to families or guilds who decorated them. Above the high altar, a Glory of Saint Reparata honours the martyr, whose remains have rested in the cathedral since 1690.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice ↗

Getting there : 3 Place Rossetti, in the heart of Vieux-Nice, on foot. Open in 2026 from 9 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 6 pm on weekdays, until 7.30 pm on Saturdays, from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 6 pm on Sundays (Nice Côte d'Azur tourist office); visits outside services and free entry to be checked.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound