Initial construction 1260 (≈ 1260)
Street built along the first rampart.
fin XIIIe siècle
First fortified enclosure
First fortified enclosure fin XIIIe siècle (≈ 1395)
Insufficient construction, later replaced.
début XIVe siècle
New pregnant by Charles II
New pregnant by Charles II début XIVe siècle (≈ 1404)
Expansion including the "Robert portal".
XVIe–XVIIIe siècles
Progressive collection
Progressive collection XVIe–XVIIIe siècles (≈ 1850)
Transformation into a street covered by the inhabitants.
4 octobre 1932
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 4 octobre 1932 (≈ 1932)
Official registration of arcades.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Charles II d'Anjou - Count of Provence
Fonda Villefranche and enlarged the ramparts.
Jean Cocteau - Director
Turned *The Testament of Orpheus* in 1959.
Roger Coggio - Director
Tour*The Scapin Fourberies* in 1981.
Origin and history
The rue Obscure de Villefranche-sur-Mer is a 130-metre-long covered street built in 1260 along the city's first rampart. Originally, it served as an open-air defensive round road, allowing for military movement and manoeuvres. After the construction of a third enclosure and the Citadelle, this 14th century rampart lost its military use and was gradually covered between the 16th and 18th centuries by the inhabitants, who expanded their houses using it as a foundation.
This street, located in the heart of the old town overlooking the Port of Health, owes its name to its progressive darkness after its recovery. Ancient cellars, some dating from the 14th century, border the street and served as shelter for animals such as donkeys and goats. One of them still houses a medieval well. The rue Obscure, with its mysterious atmosphere, inspired directors such as Jean Cocteau in 1959 for Le Testament d'Orphée and Roger Coggio in 1981 for Les Fourberies de Scapin.
The first fortified enclosure of Villefranche-sur-Mer, built at the end of the 13th century, quickly became insufficient. Charles II of Anjou, Count of Provence and founder of the city, began at the beginning of the 14th century the construction of a new, larger enclosure, of which today remains the "portal of Robert". Obscure Street, classified as a Historical Monument by order of 4 October 1932, bears witness to this urban and military evolution.
