Cimiez Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Sainte-Marie de Cimiez, also ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Château'') was a Roman Catholic church in the southern town of Nice, France. The cathedral sat on the hill of the Château de Nice, a castle overlooking the city. The bishop's seat was transferred to the present

Nice Cathedral Nice Cathedral (french: Basilique-Cathédrale Sainte-Marie et Sainte-Réparate de Nice) is a Catholic cathedral located in the city of Nice in southern France. The cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Nice. The construction of the main part of ...

in 1590. After incurring damage in the Siege of Nice in 1691, the former cathedral was demolished in 1706.

History

Cimiez Cathedral was initially the episcopal seat of the

Diocese of Cimiez The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Départment of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is ...

established in the Roman port of

Cemenelum 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. ''Ceme ...

, the precursor of the modern

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. ''Cemenel ...

, and joined to the

Diocese of Nice The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Départment of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is ...

as early as 465, after which its cathedral became the seat of the Bishops of Nice. The first cathedral on the castle hill site was built in

Pre-Romanesque architecture Pre-Romanesque art and architecture is the period in European art from either the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom in about 500 AD or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the 11th century Romanesq ...

style at the end of the 10th century.Françoise Hildesheimer (dir.), ''Les diocèses de Nice et Monaco'', Beauchesne, Paris 1997, pp. 75-76 Its high altar was consecrated in 1049. The building contained three aisles, but no transept, and a choir with three apses. This church had become extremely dilapidated by the 13th century, when it was rebuilt on the same plan, but with an extension to the east. Further works were carried out in the 15th century, including the addition of several chapels, as confirmed by a bull of

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

of 1429. The bishop's functions were gradually transferred to the church, later cathedral, of St. Reparata in the early 16th century. The formal transfer of the bishop's seat to St. Reparata's, with its consequent elevation to a cathedral, was finally confirmed in 1590. The former cathedral was severely damaged during the Siege of Nice by

Catinat Nicolas Catinat (, 1 September 1637 – 22 February 1712) was a French military commander and Marshal of France under Louis XIV. The son of a magistrate, Catinat was born in Paris on 1 September 1637. He entered the Gardes Françaises at an ...

in 1691, and was demolished entirely in 1706.

Notes

External links

Inventaire des cathédrales en Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: official website of the Ministère de la Culture

Sources

* Hildesheimer, Françoise (dir.), 1997: ''Les diocèses de Nice et Monaco''. Beauchesne, coll. ''Histoire des diocèses de France'', Paris {{ISBN, 978-2-7010-1095-3 Online a
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Former cathedrals in France Roman Catholic churches in Nice Ruins in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourist attractions in Nice