Le Suquet – The old town

Here in the heart of old Cannes, the city shows its true soul. This medieval area nestled on the hilltop of Mont-Chevalier, with its cobbled alleys, is one of Cannes city-must-xee places.

The church of Notre-Dame d'Espérance from 1642 with the Romanesque bell tower — *The church of Notre-Dame d’Espérance from 1642 with the Romanesque bell tower*

The soul of Cannes

The historic district – Le Suquet – offers a number of beautiful and interesting experiences. It is here in the heart of old Cannes that the city shows its true soul with great contrast to modern life along the Croisette.

Medieval alleys show the way

The Suquet Quarter is reserved for pedestrians and there are several roads up to the top of Mont-Chevalier.

One of the most popular is the oldest road in Cannes – Rue Saint-Antoine. If you follow the road all the way up, you end up at Place du Suquet and from here you can start exploring the different experiences that are located at the top of Cannes.

If you want to go directly to the viewpoint at the La Castre Museum, take Rue du Mont Chevalier, which is only 50 meters from Rue Saint-Antoine.

*La Place du Suquet in Cannes Old Town – ©cityxee.com*

Le Suquet’s attractions

Not far from Place du Suquet is Le Suquet des Artistes, a creative art environment, which is located, a little unusual, in the premises of the old mortuary in the city. It is dedicated to the city’s own artists and you can, on the 850 sqm among other things, experience the works of 4 renowned artists: Oliver Domin, Richard Ferri-Pisani, Grégory Berben and Olivia Paroldi.

Going east towards the harbor, you come to two very interesting sights: Cannes’ oldest church from 1642, Notre-Dame d’Espéreance and the Museum of World Discovery La Castre.

From Place du Suquet, you can either take the “Hurtigruten”, via the stairs de la Tour or the more worthwhile route via Rue du Pré and Rue Louis Perrissol.

See the image gallery at the end of the article.

A little history

Like so many other cities along the south coast, Le Suquet’s history begins with the Ligurians.

It was in all probability the Ligurians who were the first settlers on the hill (Le Suquet), as well as the island of Saint-Marguerite.

Ancient archeological finds from the 1970s testify to a fortified habitat in the 6th century BC.

These strategic fortifications also fell in the interest of the Romans during their expeditions. At the top of Le Suquet stood a Roman fortified post called Castrum (current name Castre). The Romans left France in the year 486 and approx. 500 years later, in the year 1000, the monks from the islands of Lérins took over this Castrum.

The monks expanded and strengthened the fortifications with the construction of the tower and the ramparts and until the end of the 15th century, the monks are closely connected with Le Suquet.

From the year 1500 the town is transformed into a municipality and the monks escape Le Suquet and gather around the monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat.

Construction on the church of Notre-Dame d’Espérance began in 1521, but it was not completed until 1642 due to wars and the great plague epidemic. During World War II, the church served as a temporary hospital.

In the square in front of the church, the annual music event in July “Nuits musicales du Suquet” is held today.

By Tommy Sverre – 2022

Photo gallery from Le Suquet: