Cimiez Monastery and Gardens

The Monastery of Cimiez stands at the top of the Cimiez hill, next to the Musée Matisse. With its church, cemetery, garden and small Franciscan museum, it is a place of worship, culture and history, and one of the most peaceful spots in Nice.

The site grew from a chapel built by Benedictine monks and first mentioned in 1010. In 1546 it passed to Franciscan friars who had lost their own convent in the siege of Nice, and Franciscans still serve the parish today. The church holds three works by the Nice painter Louis Bréa, a Pietà from around 1475, a Crucifixion from around 1512 and a Deposition.

The garden is the main draw for most visitors. It was once the friars' vegetable garden, and the Franciscans are credited with inventing mesclun, the mixed salad of the region. Today it covers 9,550 square metres, with paths and terraces that look out over the city towards the sea. It is open every day, free of charge, and holds the EcoJardin label for its environmentally friendly management. Benches in the shade make it a good place to rest after the museums.

In the square outside stands the Seraphic Cross, a copy of a marble cross dating from 1477 whose original is kept in the church. The Franciscan museum occupies former friars' cells on the second floor of the convent and displays paintings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts and frescoes that describe Franciscan life in Nice from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century. The museum is free but opens only on weekday mornings and is not accessible to wheelchair users.

Beside the monastery is the cemetery, where Henri Matisse, the painter Raoul Dufy and the Nobel Prize-winning writer Roger Martin du Gard are buried. Many visitors come to pay their respects after seeing Matisse's work next door. Please remember that it is a working cemetery.

The garden suits anyone looking for a quiet hour, including families with buggies, as it is listed as accessible for wheelchair users. Morning visits are pleasant in summer before the heat builds, and the light on the bay is good in the late afternoon. Combine it with the Musée Matisse and the Roman arena next door, then take the bus back down to the centre or walk down past the Musée Chagall.