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Origin and history

The Saint-Reparate Cathedral of Nice, located in Rossetti Square in the Old Nice, is a baroque building built between 1650 and 1699. It replaces an early church founded in the 11th century by Raimbald Rostagni, who brought back relics of Saint Reparate from Rome in 1078. This priory, dependent on the abbey of Saint-Pons, became a parish in 1246 and was enlarged in the 13th century to accommodate a growing population.

In the 16th century, the original cathedral, located on the Castle Hill, was gradually abandoned due to the extension of Savoyard fortifications. In 1590 the church of Sainte-Reparate was officially designated as a new cathedral. Bishop Didier Palletis launched his reconstruction in 1649, entrusted to architect Jean-André Guiberto. The works, marked by the collapse of the vault in 1658, were completed under Bishop Henri Provana de Leyni, with a solemn consecration in 1699.

The campanile, built between 1731 and 1757, and the baroque facade added between 1825 and 1830, complete the building. Ranked a historic monument in 1906 and raised to the rank of minor basilica in 1949, the cathedral houses ten Baroque chapels, including that dedicated to Saint Reparate, adorned with paintings depicting his martyrdom. The relics of the saint, authenticated in 1689, are preserved in a glass frame.

In the 18th century, the cathedral was equipped with four bells, including a bell of 3.7 tons melted in 1900. Renovated several times, notably in 2009 for its facade and interior, it remains an active place of worship and a symbol of the Nice heritage. In 2015, she hosted the funeral of pilot Jules Bianchi, and in 2016, a mass in tribute to the victims of the British Promenade bombing.

Its architecture, inspired by the Church of St.Suzanne in Rome, combines a nave in a Latin cross, a dome with varnished tiles and an interior decor rich in stucco and frescoes. Historical organs, including the large organs Boisseaux, and stained glass windows add to its artistic value. Rossetti Square, in front of the cathedral, was enlarged after 1815 to open the Old Nice, integrating the building in a harmonious urban setting.

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