The Abbey of Saint Pons (french: Abbaye Saint-Pons de Nice) is one of the oldest monasteries on the
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...
, along with
Lérins Abbey. It is located in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
of
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...
in the
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, ...
. The original abbey was constructed between 774 and 800 and entrusted to the
Benedictines
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
. However, in 890, it was destroyed by the
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...
s during a failed attack on Nice. The
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
was rebuilt in 1724 in
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
style.
In 1860 it became the property of the French state and the monastery was dissolved. The building was then sold to the city of Nice for the sum of 60,000 francs. It was later transformed into an annex to the Hospital of Saint Roche. The church remained under sequestration until its transformation into Saint Pons parish. It was classified as a
historical monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
of national importance in 1913. The
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...
s and roofs of the abbey and
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...
were classified as being of regional importance in 1949.
The abbey is now part of the Pasteur Hospital.
The life of Saint Pons
About thirty copies of the ''Passion de
Saint Pons'' exist in French and foreign libraries.
''The Passion'', whose earliest two known copies date from the 9th or 10th century, has been transcribed or printed dozens times since.
Pontius was the son of a Roman
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
[C. Passet, 1977, p. 147.] When he was very young, he and his family were persuaded by
Pope Pontian
Pope Pontian ( la, Pontianus; died October 235) was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 230 to 28 September 235.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). "Pope St. Pontian" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. In 235, duri ...
to convert to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
. Upon the death of his father, Pontius became a senator and gave all his possessions to
Pope Fabian
Pope Fabian ( la, Fabianus) was the bishop of Rome from 10 January 236 until his death on 20 January 250, succeeding Anterus. A dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit's unexpected choice to become the next pope ...
(236-250) to be distributed among the poor. He used his position in society to convert Emperor
Philip the Arab
Philip the Arab ( la, Marcus Julius Philippus "Arabs"; 204 – September 249) was Roman emperor from 244 to 249. He was born in Aurantis, Arabia, in a city situated in modern-day Syria. After the death of Gordian III in February 244, Philip, ...
(244-249) and his son.
Christians were subject to persecution during the reigns of
Valerian (253-260) and
Gallienus
Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...
(253-268), so Pontius left Italy to settle in
Cimiez
Cimiez (; Italian: ''Cimella'') is an upper class neighborhood in Nice, Southern France. The area contains the Musée Matisse and the ruins of ''Cemenelum'', capital of the Ancient Roman province Alpes Maritimae on the Ligurian coast. ''Cemen ...
. However,
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...
, the governor of Gaul, implemented the imperial policy of persecuting Christians, resulting in Pontius being arrested. For refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods, he was sentenced to death. After several attempts at execution were ineffective, such as being thrown to two bears in the amphitheatre and being burnt at the stake, he was finally beheaded on a rock overlooking the banks of the
Paillon
The Paillon ( Nissard Occitan: ''Palhon'') is a coastal river of the Alpes-Maritimes that flows into the Mediterranean Sea in Nice, near the old district. It is long. Its drainage basin is .[Paillon
The Paillon ( Nissard Occitan: ''Palhon'') is a coastal river of the Alpes-Maritimes that flows into the Mediterranean Sea in Nice, near the old district. It is long. Its drainage basin is .][Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...]
, and that Saint
Syagrius
Syagrius (430 – 486 or 487 or 493–4) was a Roman general and the last ruler of a Roman rump state in northern Gaul, now called the Kingdom of Soissons. Gregory of Tours referred to him as King of the Romans. Syagrius's defeat by king Clovis ...
was its first abbot. However, this account is not considered to be reliable as it is largely based on the Vita Siacrii, a document which is not referenced before the beginning of the seventeenth century.
Bernard Gui
Bernard Gui (), also known as Bernardo Gui or Bernardus Guidonis (c. 1261/62 – 30 December 1331), was a Dominican friar, Bishop of Lodève, and a papal inquisitor during the later stages of the Medieval Inquisition.
Due to his fictionali ...
reported in the fourteenth century that the body of the martyr had been deposited in a crypt under the church named Confessio. There are five fragments of a
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
...
dating to the
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...
period and they are believed to be from this church. Three of these fragments feature an inscription commemorating the restoration of the tomb of Saint Pons under the rule of Charlemagne whose title (King of
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
and
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
) and reign make it possible to pinpoint the event to between 774 and 800.
The monastery was entrusted to the
Benedictines
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
and became a centre of spiritual, intellectual, and economic development. However, in 890 the original abbey was destroyed by
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...
s during a failed attack on Nice.
The Middle Ages
Following the expulsion of the Saracens from
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
in 973, the Benedictine abbey was restored and the ecclesiastical possessions granted by Charlemagne to the Abbey of Saint Pons were returned. Members of the local nobility, seeking to redeem their sins, endowed the abbey with agricultural land, olive groves, vineyards, shops, warehouses, and houses.
In the Middle Ages, the abbot of the monastery of Saint Pons occupied a prominent position among the nobility of Nice as one of the richest and most powerful men in the county. He was called "High and Mighty Lord" and enjoyed "honorific," "useful," and "justice" rights. The honorific rights allowed the abbot to be solemnly received in the abbey church and occupy the place of honour in the choir. He was permitted to carry the
pectoral cross
A pectoral cross or pectorale (from the Latin ''pectoralis'', "of the chest") is a cross that is worn on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or chain. In ancient and medieval times pectoral crosses were worn by both clergy and ...
, the
mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
, the
crosier
A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Cathol ...
. As well as administering the abbey and the priories which depended on it, the useful rights allowed the abbot the rights of homage, grazing and pasture, and a monopoly on mills and ovens. He had the right to render justice on his subjects, although it is likely that this took the form of taxes, fines, and confiscations of good necessary for good administration.
By the twelfth century, the abbey was the richest in Nice and owned more than half of the city. Many churches were founded in Nice and the surrounding region by the monks of Saint-Pons, among them:
*
Châteauneuf-de-Contes in 1030
*
Sainte-Réparate de Nice in 1185
*
Gordolon in 1185
* Sainte-Dévote de
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
in 1206
* Saint-Nicolas de
Sospel
Sospel (; Mentonasc: Sospèl, Italian Sospello) is a commune (municipality) and former schismatic episcopal seat (1381-1418) in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo.
Hist ...
in 1229
* Saint-Simeon d'Ongran à
Peille
Peille (; oc, Pelha; it, Peglio Marittimo) is a commune perched on a rock between Monaco and Menton in the Alpes Maritimes department in southeastern France.
It overlooks the River Peillon. Higher still than the village are the ruins of a ...
in 1229
* Notre-Dame du Moustier à
Lucéram
Lucéram (; it, Lucerame, oc, Luceram) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Lucéram is in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Its inhabitants are called the ''Lucéramois''.
Luceram village is home of ...
in 1233
* Saint-Hermentaire de
Draguignan
Draguignan (; oc, Draguinhan) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of A ...
in 1235
* Notre-Dame des Salettes à Aspremont in 1248
* Notre-Dame de
Falicon
Falicon () is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
Population
Tourism
Falicon is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist department as the ''Route des Villages Perc ...
in 1248
* Saint-Blaise in 1248
* Saint-Pierre de
l'Escarène
L'Escarène (; oc, L'Escarèa) is an ancient commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It was part of the historic County of Nice until 1860, named ''Scarena''. It was a main stop along the Route de Sel during the 14th, ...
in 1248
* Notre-Dame sous
Gattières
Gattières (; oc, Gatièras) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department
The following is a list of the 163 communes of the Alpes-Maritimes dep ...
in 1248
* Notre-Dame des Prés à
Levens in 1252
* Saint-Laurent d'
Èze
Èze (; oc, Esa; it, Eza) is a seaside commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera, 8.5 km (5.2 mi) to the northeast of Nice and 4.5 km (2.7 m ...
in 1291
* Notre-Dame des Salles près Draguignan in 1291
* Saint-Pierre d'Oliva au Broc in 1320
* Notre-Dame de
Cimiez
Cimiez (; Italian: ''Cimella'') is an upper class neighborhood in Nice, Southern France. The area contains the Musée Matisse and the ruins of ''Cemenelum'', capital of the Ancient Roman province Alpes Maritimae on the Ligurian coast. ''Cemen ...
in 1346
* Notre-Dame de Virimanda à
Annot in 1369
* Notre-Dame de
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Beaulieu-sur-Mer (; oc, Bèuluec de Mar; it, Belluogo; "Beautiful Place on the Sea"), commonly referred to simply as Beaulieu, is a seaside commune on the French Riviera between Nice and the Principality of Monaco. Located in the Alpes-Ma ...
in 1593
* Saint-Giaume in 1576
On 28 September 1388, the surrender of Nice to
Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Sa ...
was signed in the Abbey of Saint Pons.
Fragmentation
As the Benedictine order declined in popularity, so did the
seigneurial revenues, meaning the abbey could no longer maintain its community. Its remote churches became autonomous priories, and it yielded land to the new orders.
On 8 February 1366,
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V ( la, Urbanus V; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the ...
issued a
papal bull placing the monastery of Saint Pons under the jurisdiction of the Abbey of
Saint Victor of Marseille.
In 1473, the Bishop of Nice, Barthélémy Chuet, "commissioned" the Abbey of Saint Pons, reuniting its incomes with those of the bishop's palace. However, this was reversed on 11 May 1476 by a papal bull of
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
.
In 1543, the monastery was damaged by the Turks during the
siege of Nice.
The abbey was closed in 1792 by King
Victor-Amadeus III of
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...
, and the few remaining Benedictine monks sent to other monasteries. He joined the property and revenues of the abbey to his estate and mortgaged them in order to guarantee the loans needed to finance major public works in
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
,
Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Sa ...
, and
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...
.
During the
French revolution of 1789
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the monastery was converted into a military hospital for wounded Italian soldiers and vast estates were auctioned. In the year V of the French Republic, the buildings were placed under sequestration until the
Concordat
A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Edi ...
. Monseigneur Colonna, the bishop of Nice, acquired an Imperial Decree from
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
on 12 April 1808, granting permission to establish a small seminary in the abbey. However, this never came to fruition.
By virtue of the Treaties of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in 1815, the
County of Nice
The County of Nice (french: Comté de Nice / Pays Niçois, it, Contea di Nizza/Paese Nizzardo, Niçard oc, Contèa de Niça/País Niçard) is a historical region of France located around the southeastern city of Nice and roughly equivalent t ...
was returned to the King of Sardinia and all French laws were repealed and replaced by the pre-existing Sardinian legislation. After long negotiations between
Pope Leo XII
Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...
and King
Charles Felix of Savoy
Charles Felix (; 6 April 1765 – 27 April 1831) was the Duke of Savoy, Piedmont, Aosta and King of Sardinia from 1821 to 1831.
Early life
Charles Felix was born in Turin as the eleventh child and fifth son born to Victor Amadeus III of ...
, a concordat of 14 May 1828 restored all ecclesiastical property and revenues. The abbey of Saint Pons remained the exclusive property of the State but was required to be devoted to worship. Following extensive renovations, the bishop of Nice, Monseigneur Galvano, installed the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...
of
Pignerole in the abbey. A Sardinian law on 29 May 1855 suppressed several religious congregations including the Oblates of Mary, although they were allowed to remain at the abbey of Saint Pons as long as they lived.
In 1860 the Abbey of Saint Pons became the property of the French State. A law on 1 July 1901 led to the dissolution of the order of the Oblates and their evacuation from the monastery, with the exception of four monks protected by Sardinian law who remained as guardians of the monastery until their deaths. A decree of 14 December 1898 authorised the sale of the monastery of Saint Pons to the city of Nice for the sum of 60,000 francs. It was later transformed into an annex to the Hospital of Saint Roche under the name The Hospital of the Abbey. The church remained under sequestration until its transformation into Saint Pons parish on 20 August 1914.
The abbey is now part of the Pasteur Hospital.
Works cited
*Passet Claude, La Passion de Pons de Cimiez (Passio Pontii). Sources et tradition, Belisane, Nice, 1977, ().
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pons, Abbey of
Benedictine monasteries in France
Buildings and structures in Nice
Christianity in Nice
Former Christian monasteries in France