On the occasion of the heritage weekend, Christian Estrosi inaugurated this Friday, the first phase of the rehabilitation works of the Nice Senate. While this historic site has undergone a makeover, it is mainly because the heritage center is moving from Place Pierre Gautier to this ground floor space at 14 Rue Jules Gilly.
“The heritage is not just old stones and old documents. (…) This is what heritage is: knowing the lives of our ancestors, their sacrifices and fears, and also their satisfactions and joys,” recalls the mayor of Nice. This is why our heritage is preserved. Especially when this former Senate has more than 403 years of history. From 1614 to 1860, it was the supreme court established in the County of Nice, in the name of the Dukes of Savoy. Christian Estrosi connects his audience to its history: “And in the Senate archives, there are not only legal texts. There is also the entire life of our ancestors, marriages, inheritances (…). All this is not just heritage of old documents and stones, it is your history, and that is the essential.”
Thus, the stones and vaults that adorn the walls have been sandblasted, and the natural floor has been rediscovered and covered with decking up to street level, in order to optimize the site’s preservation. The exterior joinery was replaced, and a cobblestone path was laid. To fulfill its new role, a reception and orientation area as well as an exhibition hall have been created. The entire work cost €263,000. With the speech finished, the city mayor moves into the room to the left of the entrance. He visits the exhibition hall, where panels inform about guided tour routes.
The rehabilitation policy of Nice’s heritage launched also involves Saint-Pons Church and the Saint François Square. In order to “make our heritage even more accessible,” the website tresors.nice.fr has been launched. It will allow you to discover Nice’s heritage, which is not always accessible. Already, 275 heritage treasures are published, and Mr. Estrosi challenges himself to reach 500 more items each year.
Océane Da Silva
