For its 80th anniversary, the Saint-Roch district will experience various activities: celebrations, games, and sporting contests throughout the year 2016! The Saint-Roch district is like a real village centered around its square: the parish church, the market, the communal school, and the war memorial.
And yet, this village, which seems to have been centered for centuries around its church with its magnificent trompe-l’oeil and graffiti facade, is a young octogenarian, structured in 1936 by the opening of Boulevard Saint-Roch.
Eighty years ago, Boulevard Saint-Roch was created to urbanize this agricultural plain along the Paillon River. The district, which at the beginning of the 20th century consisted of large agricultural properties, has since undergone inexorable transformation. In addition to the presence of military barracks, factories, and sawmills, the district has developed with large real estate complexes.
At the time, it was the longest (1.3 km) and widest in Nice, with its 30 meters of roadways lined with plane trees. It was the quintessential access route, the “backbone” of the eastern districts of Nice.
This eternal youth, the Saint-Roch district will rediscover through the celebrations, games, and sporting contests that will enliven it throughout 2016. Traditions will also be revived with the Mais, a musical festival in the Nice tradition, the Saint Roch mass…
For its 80th anniversary, the district will rediscover its history with an open-air exhibition on the fences of Charles Caressa Square and conferences exploring various themes (the small parish of the Ancien Régime covered with citrus, the working-class Saint-Roch, the strong presence of Italians, sports, etc.).
And culture will be present in all its forms, close to the residents of the district: literature with Louis Nucéra, a child of the district, open-air concerts, and theater in the tramway.
On Monday, October 3 at 5:30 PM, Professor Eric Nasica, Dean of UEFR, Director of the Higher Institute of Economics and Management (ISEM), University of Nice – Sophia Antipolis, and municipal councilor Jean-Marc Giaume, history delegate, will inaugurate a traveling exhibition, a true journey through time.
There, one will discover the riches of a constantly evolving district. Starting the wander of this exhibition in a place of transmission and knowledge like the Saint Jean d’Angely University symbolizes a renewal and promises a bright future for this district.
