Sommaire / Summary
The Suquet in Cannes is the old town of Cannes, set on a hill 66m above sea level and topped by a feudal castle. It lies entirely between boulevard Victor-Tuby, rue du docteur Pierre-Gazagnaire and rue Georges Clemenceau.
The Suquet citadel
The town was founded by the Ligurians in ancient times, and was later dominated by the Counts of Provence. A castle existed from the early 11th century, completed by the great tower in 1080. Little by little, a fortified village grew up. And so, from this medieval evolution, Suquet retains the Tour du Suquet, the church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Espérance, the chapel of Sainte-Anne and all the steep little streets.
.The Tour du Suquet
The former grand tower of the ancient château, the Tour du Suquet dates back to the 11th century. It's a perfect parallelepiped, not very original architecturally, but worth a visit. From its summit, there's a magnificent panorama of the town and the Bay of Cannes.
.The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Espérance
The church was completed in 1627. Originally, its interior was relatively sober. The interior walls were whitewashed. But the side chapels were entrusted to artisan brotherhoods, who were responsible for decorating them. And so, little by little, other elements came to complete the works of the brotherhoods.
Several wooden sculptures stand out:
- St. Anne, the Virgin and the Child Jesus, from the 14th century
- St. Anne, from the 15th century
- the altar of the Saint-Pierre chapel
- a beautiful wooden carved Christ from the 15th century
- etc
Also of note: the 1857 organ, the painting Mort de Joseph entre la Vierge et le Christ, in the Saint-Joseph chapel.
Saint Anne’s chapel
This chapel dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. It was the former Notre-Dame-du-Puy church, which had become too small for the number of parishioners. The church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Espérance was built in 1627, and Notre-Dame-du-Puy became the chapel of Sainte-Anne. Today, it is home to the Musée des explorations du monde, formerly known as the Musée de La Castre.
Musée des explorations du monde
The Musée des explorations du monde conserves art objects from the Himalayas-Tibet, the Arctic, pre-Columbian America and Oceania, hence the museum's name, as well as Mediterranean antiquities.
It also displays 19th-century Provencal landscape paintings.
Practical information
Musée des explorations du monde
Place de la Castre - Le Suquet
06400 Cannes
Open
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm (6pm from April to June)
Closed: May 1, November 1, November 11, December 25 and January 1.
Informations Côte d'Azur
Jean-Marc Foulquier