Antibes Cathedral, Roman Catholic cathedral in Antibes, France.
Antibes Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church on the French Riviera, its external form largely dating to 1747. The Italian-style facade is painted salmon-orange with pale pilasters, topped by a triangular pediment with a round sunburst window, a large round window and a statue niche below, and an arched doorway at ground level. Inside, three naves are separated by round arches on smooth stone pillars, with a dark wooden pulpit on the left and a large organ to the rear.
The structure was founded in 450 by Pope Leo I and suffered multiple attacks throughout history. Saracen raids destroyed parts of it in 1124, and Austrian bombardment damaged it again during 1746 to 1747.
The cathedral keeps the 1515 retable of Our Lady of the Rosary by the Niçois painter Louis Bréa, with a Virgin of Mercy, and a carved walnut door made around 1710 by the Antibois sculptor Joseph Dolle. The door shows Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian, the two patron saints of Antibes, invoked against plague.
The church sits on rue de la Paroisse in central Antibes, near the Picasso Museum and Plage de la Gravette beach. Its central location makes it easy to visit alongside other nearby attractions in the old town.
The building sits exactly where an ancient Roman temple dedicated to goddesses Diana and Minerva once stood. Saint Paul is said to have preached at this sacred spot in 63.
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