Description of the attraction
The Catholic Cathedral Basilica in Nice is dedicated to the unknown Russian tourist Saint Reparate. But for the locals this is "their own" saint - she is the patroness of Nice.
Reparata, a fifteen-year-old native of Palestinian Caesarea, suffered for Christ in 250: her head was cut off. They say that the body of the martyr was placed in a boat, which the angels brought to the shores of Nice (this is one of the versions of the origin of the name "Bay of Angels").
The Cathedral of St. Reparata stands in a small square among the narrow streets of the Old Town. The first church on this site appeared in the XIII century. For a long time, the Cathedral of Nice was located on the Castle Hill, but in the first half of the 16th century it was decided that the episcopal see would be below, and the parish church of St. Reparata became a cathedral.
Over time, the small building ceased to accommodate believers, and in 1649 the architect Jean-André Hubert began the reconstruction of the temple. Construction proceeded slowly - sometimes there was money, then there was not enough of it. The year 1658 was darkened by a terrible incident - the vault of the nave collapsed, the debris wounded the bishop, who died a few hours later. Work resumed only five years later. Finally, in 1699, a new Baroque cathedral, with a dome covered with colored glazed tiles in the Genoese spirit, was consecrated.
However, this was not the last restructuring: between 1731 and 1757 a charming bell tower was added, and in 1825-1830 the already elegant facade was decorated with four statues of saints and a statue of the kneeling Saint Reparata right above the entrance.
The facade of the cathedral has recently been restored. Work continues on the restoration of the luxurious interior, designed in the same magnificent baroque style (rich decor, Corinthian columns, gilding, frescoes). The ten chapels of the cathedral have an interesting history: they once belonged to private individuals who decorated them, kept them, and for this they buried family members there. This practice stopped in the 18th century, when the king of the Sardinian kingdom, Victor Amadeus III, prohibited burial in churches.
