Monastère de l'Annonciade, Hillside monastery in Menton, France.

Monastère de l'Annonciade stands on the hill of the vanished town of Puypin, at 233 m between the Careï and Borrigo valleys above Menton. The photograph shows two connected cream-walled buildings under red tile roofs: a tall gabled facade with a cross on top, a circular emblem above a dark wooden double door, two shuttered arched windows, a small open bell niche, and a lower left wing with a covered arched entry and a plaque reading "Monastère de l'Annonciade".

The site began as Podium Pini (Puypin), a hilltop town at 233 m between the Careï and Borrigo valleys. After 1316 the population moved down to Menton, and by the mid-14th century only a chapel of Notre-Dame de l'Annonciade remained. The chapel was enlarged in the 17th century and convent buildings added for the Puypin congregation, founded in 1694 by priests from the Menton area. Capuchin monks lived here from 1866 to 1999.

The chapel remains open even after the Sisters of the Annonciade left on 28 April 2012, most of them moving to Thiais. Marian feasts were celebrated here on 25 March and 8 September. The Rosary path recalls Isabelle Grimaldi, sister of Prince Louis I of Monaco, who had fifteen oratories built after a healing she attributed to Notre-Dame.

Reaching the monastery requires climbing numerous steps and pathways from Menton's center, so comfortable walking shoes are essential for this uphill journey. The route is steep but clearly marked, winding through the town's older streets.

The chapel stays open even though the Sisters of the Annonciade left on 28 April 2012, most of them moving to Thiais. The fifteen oratories of the Rosary path were rebuilt in 1930 by architect Abel Glena after falling into ruin, each covered in Provençal tiles. Near the monastery grows a vineyard of 800 maluverne vines, the only Menton grape variety.