Cimiez Monastery: peace, beauty and contemplation

Cimiez Monastery, with the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the Franciscan Museum, is worth a visit.

In the 9th century, the Brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pons built the Monastery of Cimiez. In 1543, the convent of the Franciscan brothers was destroyed during the siege of Nice. Three years later, they bought the Monastery from the brotherhood of the Benedictines. After the Revolution, the army turned it into a barracks and later into a military hospital. It would subsequently resume its original vocation under the Sardinian Restoration, and becomes a parish church under the direction of the monks. In the 19th century, the addition of neo-gothic facades and porches, gives it its current style.

As a consequence of this rich past, the Monastery is now listed as a Historical Monument.

In this 15th century church, you can admire three major paintings of the primitive Niçois painter Louis Bréa: a Pietà, the Crucifixion, and the Deposition. Also worth seeing is the imposing carved wood baroque altarpiece. The museum traces Franciscan life in Nice from the 13th century onwards and houses fascinating frescoes and works of art.

The garden of the Monastery, with its rose garden and Mediterranean plants, is beautiful with a view that embraces a large part of the city, all the way to the sea. Henri Matisse, Roger Martin du Gard and Raoul Dufy are buried in the adjacent cemetery.

The Monastery is without doubt the most emblematic site in Cimiez.

Monastère de Cimiez
164, Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez – 06000 Nice
Phone/ Booking: +33 (0)4 93 81 00 04