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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Grimaldi castle of Cagnes-sur-Mer came into being in the 14th century, when Rainier I Grimaldi (1267-1314), lord of Monaco and admiral of France, became its owner in 1309 after its surrender by the king of Naples. This fort, built on ancient ruins, initially served as a watch and defence post. The Grimaldi d'Antibes family kept it for nearly 500 years, until the French Revolution.

In the 17th century, around 1620, Jean-Henri Grimaldi of Antibes, Marquis de Courbons, transformed the medieval castle into an elegant Italian mansion. Under the protection of Louis XIII and Richelieu, he added an exterior staircase and superimposed logias. The audience room houses a remarkable Baroque fresco, La Chute de Phaéton, painted by Giulio Benso, an artist who also worked at the Lascaris Palace in Nice.

Between 1707 and 1709, Marquis Honoré III Grimaldi was involved in a forgery case. Discovered in 1710 by the Count of Artagnan during a search, the fraudulent material was in the cellars of the castle. At the Revolution, the Grimaldi family was exiled, and the castle, abandoned, fell into ruin. It was bought in 1875 by an individual, restored, and acquired by the municipality in 1939.

Since 1946, the castle has housed the Museum of Modern Art and Ethnography, as well as a space dedicated to singer Suzy Solidor. Ranked a historic monument in 1948, its mâchicoulis dungeon and baroque halls bear witness to its rich past. During World War II, its undergrounds served as an anti-aircraft shelter.

Architecturally, the castle combines medieval elements (galets, niches) and Renaissance additions (building staircase, triangular patio). Its location at the top of the Haut-de-Cagnes offers an exceptional panorama of the Mediterranean and the Alps. The interior frescoes and the two-hundredth anniversary of the patio are among its heritage treasures.

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