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The medieval popes’ cathedral has 17th-century alterations but a 13th-century altar.

The relics of St Anne (mother of the Virgin) were discovered on this site in 776, and here they remain, having survived the destruction of the church and its rebuilding from the 11th century on. The two crypts have also survived, containing sarcophagi from early Christian times. The cathedral has 18th-century paintings and a 15th-century stained-glass window of the Tree of Jesse. The 17th-century St Anne Chapel contains what is said to be the saint’s veil, although it’s probably of 9th-century Egyptian origin.

The Russian community was almost as prominent in Nice as the British in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With the backing of Tsar Nicolas II, this Russian Orthodox cathedral was completed in 1912 as the community’s focal point.

Constructed in the pink stone typical of Fréjus, the 13th-century cathedral has a beautiful Renaissance doorway. Its interior is dominated by superb pointed arches, and the cloister ceiling, with its scenes of the Apocalypse, is unique (see Fréjus Old Town).

Washerwoman Cathérine led Niçois resistance against the Turkish fleet that besieged the city in 1543. She knocked out the Turkish standard-bearer with her washboard, before lifting her skirts and putting the rest of the Turks to flight. The day was eventually lost, but Cathérine’s statue is in Vieux Nice (see Vieux Nice).

For a spectacular view of the Camargue, visit the information centre and bird park, where enclosures display the lagoons’ bird life (see Parc Ornithologique du Pont-de-Gau).

Lively frescoes (1491) greet visitors to this simple chapel, which has recently been renovated. They include the scenes depicting the Last Judgment, with St Peter welcoming the virtuous to Heaven while the Devil leads the damned to Hell.

The dazzling white interior walls of this little chapel are adorned with black line drawings of the Stations of the Cross. They are unmistakably the work of Henri Matisse (see Henri Matisse), who designed this building in 1949.

The ruins of a fortified monastery provide a superb setting for two terraces. The first is a formal arrangement of yew and box-trees, shaded by Aleppo pines. The second features a lovely fountain and cascade.

An impressive monastery with elegant gardens and a splendid chapel.