Written by Jacqueline CUVIER, president of the Les Appels d’Orphée Nice association.
PUBLISHED BY THE FEDERATION OF ASSOCIATIONS OF THE COUNTY OF NICE, LES APPELS D’ORPHEE, THE INSTITUTE OF NICOISE STUDIES,
In 1783, an edict from the King of Sardinia put an end to the practice of burying corpses in churches. This prohibition led to the creation of the first communal cemetery on the Castle Hill, where it was set up next to the Jewish cemetery. The local people of Nice initially adopted it with reluctance before the notable figures of the 19th century transformed it into a “magnificent funerary museum.” An enclosure was reserved for the graves of Protestant and Orthodox foreigners until they had their own cemeteries. At the same time, the expansion of the city absorbed the surrounding villages and hamlets where the cemetery of the Saint-Barthélémy convent and that of Cimiez housed the grand tombs of the Niçoise nobility. The Caucade necropolis marked the beginning of the 20th century, with the Military Squares…
In this book, the visitor or curious reader will find a reminder of the historical context of the creation of each cemetery and, in addition to biographical elements of famous or significant figures of Niçoise society, information concerning funerary architecture and symbolism, and particularly remarkable statuary in Nice.
