In 1283, the Augustinians settled in Nice at the location of the former Sainte Croix clinic. At that time, they were outside the city’s walls with their chapel and a convent. By the end of the 14th century, Nice had become a frontier town, and the suburbs proved to be unsafe.
The Augustinians took refuge within the feudal walls and in 1405 obtained permission from the Avignon anti-Pope, Benedict XIII, who was residing in Nice, to settle in the parish of Saint Martin. This church was mentioned for the first time in a text from 1144. The building was reconstructed in 1424, and the Augustinians built their convent simultaneously. In the 17th century, between 1623 and 1689, the Gothic church was replaced by another in Baroque style.
It was renovated in 1751 and again in 1837. The most significant modification was the new access porch opened to the south in 1854. Previously, there were two doors to enter this church: the eastern one for the monks coming from their convent and the western one for the parishioners. Saint Martin Saint Augustin is aligned on a south-north axis, with the main altar oriented to the north. The façade was only completed in 1895. The convent became a barracks in 1821 and is still owned by the army.
Initially, there were two bell towers; one had to be demolished in 1897, following the 1887 earthquake. This church had two notable historical moments: Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, celebrated mass there on June 20, 1510, and Garibaldi was baptized there in 1807.
Thierry Jan
