In the eleventh century the place seems to have been abandoned, and in
1162 the Emperor Frederick I. presented it to the Republic of Genoa, who
took possession, and rebuilt the fortifications in 1215. During the
struggles of the Italian Republics, and the wars of the Guelphs and
Ghibellines, Monaco several times changed hands, but was most frequently
in the possession of the Grimaldi, and sometimes became the shelter of
bands of pirates who scoured the Mediterranean. The Grimaldi sided with
the French in the Italian wars of Charles VIII. and Louis XII., and
through the influence of the latter became the governors of the whole of
the Western Riviera.
During the struggle between France and Spain in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, Monaco was alternately under the protection of
each. The boundaries of the principality then included Mentone and
Roquebrune, but in 1848 Mentone declared itself a free town. Since the
annexation of the county of Nice by France, the principality, which is
about three miles long by about half a mile wide, is entirely surrounded
by the French Canton of “Menton.”
A comparatively easy drive to the town has now been made up the east
side of the rock, but the original approach was by a steep flight of
steps, carefully defended with strongly fortified gates, and commanded
by the battlements above (_see_ sketch, Fig. 258). The existing works at
this point are evidently of the seventeenth century. The north side,
which overlooks the mainland, was fortified with a large circular
bastion at the western angle (Fig. 259), and a square one at the eastern
angle. The former still retains some of the large corbels which carried
the original parapet of the fifteenth century; but the bastions have
been heightened and made suitable for artillery at a later date. On
arriving at the top of the entrance to the town, a wide open staircase
ascends to the front of the Ducal Palace (Fig. 258). This edifice is a
picturesque assemblage of buildings of several dates, chiefly of the
Renaissance period. Some of the old towers retain their forked
battlements, a form common in the North of Italy. The whole place is
vast and palatial, and from its lofty site and splendid background,
composed of a rugged mountain called the Tête de
[Illustration: FIG. 258. DUCAL PALACE, MONACO.]
Chien, has a noble and impressive appearance. The courtyard of the
palace is also a fine though somewhat peculiar specimen of Italian
design, the fresco paintings on the walls giving it a rich and southern
aspect.
[Illustration: FIG. 259. DUCAL PALACE, MONACO (_N.W. Bastion._)]
The town consists of three parallel streets, and contains some good bits
of old work. A large new church in the early Romanesque or Provençal
style of architecture has recently been erected. The old church
contained specimens of capitals, and other details very similar to those
of the lower arcade in the Castle of St Honorat. The gardens of the
palace, which extend round the western side of the rock, where every
chink and crevice is filled with fig trees, aloes, pears, and palms,
form a delightful promenade; and the views from the walls towards Monte
Carlo and Mentone,
[Illustration: FIG. 260. ENTRANCE TO TOWN, ROQUEBRUNE.]
with the mountain ranges behind them, are most charming. Only a few
miles off (about an hour’s walk) the remark remarkable town of
ROQUEBRUNE is seen embosomed in orange groves on the slope of the
mountain. The ascent from the railway station is by a steep and narrow
path, which penetrates into the town by a long vaulted and stepped
passage, the entrance to which is through a small arched gateway,
defended by a wide overhanging machicolation (Fig. 260). The church of
St Margaret is then reached, in which the old font (Fig. 261) is worthy
of note. The peculiarity of this town arises from the huge masses of
rock which stand up amongst the houses, and at a short distance present
the appearance of a great castle. These give the town its name, and one
of them, larger than the rest, is actually crowned with the remains of
the ancient fortress of the Lascaris (Fig. 262), which, however, is now
but an empty shell. One or two open “places” amongst the great rocks
form beautiful terraces, commanding fine and extensive prospects.
[Illustration: FIG. 261. FONT, ROQUEBRUNE.]
The railway, after leaving Roquebrune, sweeps round the Cap Martin, and
enters the bay of MENTONE, which is only about four miles off. This
town, like all the others on the coast, had its castle on the summit of
a promontory which juts out into the sea, and divides the coast into two
portions, called the eastern and western bays. The Counts of Ventimiglia
and the Genoese had, at different times, possession of the town and
castle, but it was for the most part an appanage of Monaco, and followed
its fortunes. In 1848 the inhabitants formed themselves into a free
Republic, and enjoyed autonomy for thirteen years, after which Mentone
became the “chef lieu” of a French Canton. The town was at one time
surrounded with walls, which rose straight up from the sea. It thus
completely occupied
[Illustration: FIG. 262. ROQUEBRUNE CASTLE.]
the narrow strip of land between the shore and the hill on which the
castle stood, and barred the way along the coast. The eastern gate of
the town, and the “Long Street,” which is also a very narrow one,
leading through it, still remain, but a new and wider roadway, which
forms part of the Cornice Road, has been constructed along the back of
the houses in the eastern bay, and now encloses the harbour on the side
next the town. An old square tower at the extreme point of the
promontory is one of the few relics of the fortifications of the town.
Above the “Long Street” the houses are built in terraces, rising rapidly
tier above tier on the hillsides, and approached by long flights of
steps and narrow vaulted lanes. In the midst of these stand the
churches, buildings of the seventeenth century, of clumsy character. The
towers and spires, however, form a picturesque group (Fig. 263); and
along with the houses, as seen from the harbour, together with the
magnificent background of lofty and partly snow-clad mountains which
shelter Mentone on the north, they compose a splendid picture.
[Illustration: FIG. 263. MENTONE (_from the Harbour_).]
The old castle which formerly crowned the summit, has been entirely
demolished, and its site is occupied as a cemetery, from which very fine
views are obtained both of the coast line and of the mountains on the
north. Numerous narrow valleys and gorges run up from the sea towards
the mountains, forming beautiful and interesting promenades and
excursions, but there is little to attract the student of architecture.
At GORBIO, beautifully situated about five miles from Mentone to the
west, and some distance up a charming valley, there are an old church
with a dark nave, and the remains of a castle of the Lascaris. The
houses here are united by arches thrown across the narrow streets, an
arrangement very common in this district, and supposed to be for the
purpose of resisting to some extent the effect of earthquakes.
STE AGNÈS, not far from Gorbio, is also a favourite excursion. It is a
lofty and beautiful spot, with the remains of an old castle said to be
of Saracenic origin.
The ascent to CASTELLAR forms another delightful walk of about an hour
and a-half, giving a fine idea of the richness of the valleys of Mentone
in lemons, in the growth of which they excel every place north of
Palermo. The town of Castellar is of some extent, and its situation on a
“col” at the top of a steep ascent is fine, but there is no architecture
of importance. It is clumsily built, and has been at one time surrounded
with walls, which now form the exterior of houses. Some remains of
ditches and towers--one of the latter being converted into the belfry of
the church--also still exist.
About a mile eastwards from Mentone the Cornice Road crosses by the bold
arch of the Pont St Louis the ravine which now forms the boundary
between France and Italy. Since 1861 the limits of France have been
extended considerably further eastwards than in ancient times, when La
Turbie marked the boundary of Gaul. In the course of our journey we have
observed that as we approach the frontier, the towns possess a good deal
of the Italian character, and that both historically and architecturally
they have much in common with Italy. The architectural styles of France
and Italy were observed to overlap each other in the district we have
just examined. But when we pass the modern boundary of France at the
Pont St Louis, we may
[Illustration: FIG. 264. WEST PORTAL OF CATHEDRAL, VENTIMIGLIA.]
be said to have left nearly all trace of French and Provençal
architecture behind, and in our further progress eastwards we shall meet
with almost nothing which is not entirely Italian in style. We shall
therefore in concluding our journey give only a rapid sketch of some of
the more important buildings between Mentone and Genoa.
[Illustration: FIG. 265. INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL, VENTIMIGLIA.]
The railway eastwards from Mentone follows the coast line, and cuts
through some lofty rocks at the mouth of the
[Illustration: FIG. 266. STREET IN DOLCE AQUA.]
torrent of St Louis, famous from containing the caves in which have been
discovered human remains, associated with the bones of extinct animals,
such as the mammoth, the great bear, the elk, &c.
[Illustration: FIG. 267. CASTLE OF THE DORIAS, DOLCE AQUA.]
About seven miles from Mentone, the line passes
[Illustration: FIG. 268. DOLCE AQUA (_from the S.W._)]
[Illustration: FIG. 269. STREET IN SAN REMO.]
through a tunnel, on emerging from which the frontier town of
VENTIMIGLIA is seen towering above the plain of the river Roya. It
stands on a bold rocky headland, defended on one side by the sea, and on
the other by the river. Like all border towns, its possession was
constantly disputed by the neighbouring suzerains, and it endured many
sieges, but was generally under the authority of the town of Genoa. The
streets are narrow and tortuous, and have the usual picturesque
staircases and arches. The porch of the cathedral seen in the sketch
(Fig. 264) is old, and is decidedly Italian in character, but the rest
of the front is modern. The interior again (Fig. 265) might be a
Provençal Cistertian design, such as that of Thoronet.
Two miles eastwards from Ventimiglia, the valley of the Nervia opens to
the left. An easy and agreeable walk of about five miles up the valley
leads to the very quaint old town of DOLCE AQUA. On the way we pass
through the decaying but picturesque town of Campo Rosso with an open
“place” lined with arcaded footways.
[Illustration: FIG. 270. HOUSES IN SAN REMO.]
The most ancient part of Dolce Aqua lies on the left side of the river,
which is crossed by an old bridge of one span, having the roadway
stepped up on each side, and showing traces of old fortifications. Above
this the houses rise in tiers, forming a dense and confused labyrinth of
narrow lanes and dark tunnels--many of the former
[Illustration: FIG. 271. SAN SIRO, SAN REMO (_N. Doorway_).]
crossed by strengthening arches thrown between the houses on each side
(Fig. 266). Dominating the whole stand the proud ruins of the castle of
the Dorias (Fig. 267), a family famous in the history of Genoa and the
Riviera. It is a building of a late date (seventeenth century), and has
been defended with great bastions mounted with cannons (Fig. 268),
surrounded with walls, and provided with a drawbridge. The castle has
evidently contained large and sumptuous apartments, but the interior is
now reduced to total ruin. The town has also been provided with
fortifications, of which one tower near the river has been appropriated
and heightened into a church steeple (Fig. 268). The castle has been
abandoned since the wars of 1748, and the descendants of the Dorias now
occupy a mansion, situated under the walls, in which there is a finely
carved chimney piece, and an interesting collection of family portraits.
The town of PIGNA, about ten miles further up the valley, is said to
contain a good church of the fifteenth century, with pointed arches, and
a fine painting of the sixteenth century.
[Illustration: FIG. 272. GATEWAY AND STREET IN TAGGIA.]
Passing the ancient republic of Bordighera, with its arcaded streets and
splendid palm gardens, we soon reach SAN REMO. This ancient town,
originally independent, came ultimately, like the rest of the Riviera,
under the authority of Genoa. It consists as usual of one principal
street along the narrow strip of ground between the base
[Illustration: FIG. 273. DOORWAY IN TAGGIA.]
of the hill on which the old town stands and the sea. The town consists
of the ordinary pile of terraced houses with narrow tortuous streets and
steep flights of steps leading up to them. There is here an
extraordinary profusion of the arches, of which we have met with
examples elsewhere, thrown across the narrow streets, in order to
strengthen the houses against the shocks of earthquake to which this
region is liable. These features sometime produce, together with the
stairs and tall houses, extraordinary combinations and effects (Figs.
269 and 270).
The cathedral of San Siro, which stands detached in a small “place,” has
some good Italian features still preserved,--amongst which are the north
and south doorways (Fig. 271), the remainder having been greatly
modernised and spoiled.
In the main street there are some fair specimens of Renaissance palaces,
somewhat in the style of those of Genoa.
[Illustration: FIG. 274. DOORWAY IN TAGGIA.]
From the railway station of Arma di Taggia, some miles east of San Remo,
an expedition may be made about five miles up the valley to the
exquisitely quaint old town of TAGGIA. It concentrates in itself all the
various remarkable features of the towns of the Riviera in its arcaded
streets and vaulted footpaths, narrow lanes crossed with arches, and
approached by steep stairs and dark tunnels; and these features are here
all combined in so profuse and picturesque a manner as to present an
epitome of those of all the rest. In the midst of these striking
general
[Illustration: FIG. 275. CLOISTERS, ST CRISTOFERO, TAGGIA.]
[Illustration: FIG. 276. CHURCH AT ALASSIO.]
effects, so captivating to the artist, it is difficult, however, to pick
out anything which may be regarded as really good architecture. Fig. 272
gives some idea of the picturesqueness of the arcaded streets and
gateways, while Figs. 273 and 274 give a few good architectural details.
The first (Fig. 273) might, from its style, be the lintel of any
fifteenth century house in Genoa (a splendid example of a similar style
of doorway at Genoa being shown in Fig. 281), and the other (Fig. 274)
is a Renaissance doorway in black marble ornamented with raised
arabesques. Close to the town is the monastery of San Cristofero, where
the ancient cloister and tower (Fig. 275) are good specimens of early
Italian work. The vaulting of
[Illustration: FIG. 277. TOWERS AND WEST END OF CHURCH, ALBENGA.]
the cloister is late, the original roof being probably of timber. The
tower is a good Italian campanile, with string courses of the arcaded
ornament so common in Lombardy and the Rhineland.
[Illustration: FIG. 278. ALBENGA (_from Railway Station_).]
We are now in the centre of the district which suffered so severely from
the earthquakes of 1887. BUSSANA is passed on the right in returning to
the railway. The towns of PORTO MAURIZIO (which stands on a solitary
rock), ONEGLIA, and DIANO MARINA, all names too well known in connection
with the above catastrophe, are reached in succession before arriving at
ALASSIO, the furthest east of the health resorts of the Riviera. The
tower of the church here (Fig. 276) has the usual form of the Italian
campanile.
A few miles further east bring us to ALBENGA, which is, architecturally
speaking, the most interesting town on this part of the coast. It lies
in a hollow near the mouth of the river Acosia, and is defended from the
cold winds of the North by an amphitheatre of lofty, snow-clad
mountains. The general view of the town from the
[Illustration: FIG. 279. TOWER AT NORTH-EAST OF CHURCH, ALBENGA.]
railway station (Fig. 278) shews the peculiar preponderance of square
towers for which it is remarkable. On closer inspection these are found
to be no less surprising than when seen from a distance. They are
generally quite plain and are built of brick. The view of the west end
of the church (Fig. 277) shews four of these towers crowded close
together, exhibiting examples of several different designs. That over
the north entrance to the church has a strong resemblance to the
campaniles of Lombardy, such as that of Mantua, and is thoroughly
Italian in every detail, while the plain square towers adjoining recall
similar examples at Bologna and elsewhere in Italy. That again at the
east end of the church, which has the figure of the lion at its base
(Fig. 279), with its plain brick shaft, its triple arcaded top, and
fork-shaped battlements, is almost identical with those of Verona. The
church has originally been an Italian design of the thirteenth century.
Although now much altered and spoiled it has evidently had the same
arcaded ornament at the eaves as we have observed at Grasse, San Remo,
and elsewhere. The doorways also correspond in style with the above
churches. To the north of the church is a very interesting baptistery,
which reminds one of those of Fréjus and Aix. It is of octagonal form,
28 feet long by 26 feet wide, with a vault supported on Corinthian-like
pillars, and has a very ancient but dismal and neglected appearance. One
of the windows is filled with stone tracery of a Byzantine or Moorish
character.
In moving eastwards we pass in succession CERIALE, with its
fortifications, and LOANO with its great monasteries, VEREZZI with one
good campanile, and FLNALMARINO with two. From the latter a view is
obtained of FINALBORGO in the distance (about two miles off), where
there are evidently the remains of a fine castellated structure. At
[Illustration: FIG. 280. CLOISTERS, SAN MATTEO, GENOA.]
[Illustration: FIG. 281. DOORWAY, PIAZZA SAN MATTEO, GENOA.]
Noli there is an ancient entrance tower with an archway through it.
Savona retains its fortifications of the Vauban School, and Verazze the
shattered ruins of an old castle.
[Illustration: FIG. 282. CHURCH, CLOISTERS, ETC., GENOA.]
It is not intended to attempt to describe the architecture of GENOA.
That has already formed the subject of special works, and would require
a volume to itself. Only, in closing this account of the architecture of
the Riviera, one or two examples from Genoa are given, in order to make
more distinct the analogies to which attention has been drawn between
the architecture of a large part of the Riviera and that of the famous
Republic, as well as the style of Italy generally. Thus the side doorway
of the cathedral exhibits, in a remarkable manner, the same imitation of
Roman architecture (_see_ Vignette on title page, and Heading p. 25),
modified by the introduction of Romanesque or Teutonic ornament, which
we observed at St Gilles, Arles, and other churches of Provence. This
doorway is part of the original building of the eleventh century,
although the greater part of the cathedral was restored about 1300.
[Illustration: FIG. 283. CAMPANILE, GENOA.]
The façade of San Matteo, on which are engraved so many inscriptions in
honour of the various distinguished members of the family of Doria and
that of San Stefano, shew the arcaded caves, and the inlaid moulding
under the cornice which exist at Grasse, San Remo, Ventimiglia, &c. The
doorways of these churches have the same flat porch, with small
projection, and plain pointed gable, and the same sort of arch and
shafts as several of the examples we have met with in the Riviera. San
Matteo dates from 1278. The cloister (Fig. 280) which adjoins that
church is of the beginning of the fourteenth century, and contains the
monuments of the Dorias, which have been brought here from the
suppressed church of Santa Dominica. The cloisters of San Matteo, and
also those of San Lorenzo, present shafts and caps in the same Italian
style as we have observed extended as far westwards as the cloisters at
Fréjus, and the upper cloister of the castle of St Honorat. The
sculptured lintel in the Piazza San Matteo (Fig. 281), exhibiting the
combat of St George and the Dragon, although more elaborate, is similar
in style to the lintel of the house at Taggia (Fig. 273); while the
campaniles and arcades of other churches in Genoa (Figs. 282 and 283)
recall the Italian style, of which we have met with so many examples in
Provence.
[Illustration: FIG. 284. KNOCKER, ELNE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 285. LAMP FROM OLD CHURCH, MONACO.]
INDEX.
Aegitna, 308.
Aigues Mortes, 206.
Aix-en-Provence, 217.
Alassio, 454.
Albenga, 456.
Albigensian Crusades, 27.
Antibes, 84, 371.
Arles, 50, 183.
Autun, 33.
Aurelian Way, 79.
Auribeau, 380.
Avignon, 3, 34, 137.
Barbarians, Invasions of, 14.
Beaucaire, 173.
Béziers, 222.
Biot, 387.
Burgundy, Style of, 109.
Bussana, 456.
Byzantine Architecture, 97.
Cagnes, 376.
Callian, 364.
Camargue, The, 77.
Cannes, 83, 308.
Cannet, 275.
Carcassonne, 243.
Carpentras, 47, 167.
Castellar, 441.
Castellaras, 350.
Castellated Architecture, 116.
Cavaillon, 48, 167.
Cemenelum (Cimiès), 86, 421.
Ceriale, 458.
Charlemagne, Revival under, 17.
Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, 164.
Christian Buildings, Early, 95.
Church, Early Organisation of, 12;
Revival of, 19.
Cistertian Architecture, 110, 274.
Citeaux, Monks of, 22.
Clausonne, 84.
Cluny, Abbey of, 19.
Cogolin, 302.
Courthézon, 137.
Crau, The, 77.
Cruas, 128.
Crusades, 23.
Crussol, 128.
Dolce Aqua, 448.
Dome, The use of, 105.
Elne, 239.
Esterel, 304.
Eza, 424.
Feudal System, 112.
Finalborgo, 458.
Finalmarino, 458.
France, Northern Architecture, 1.
“ Southern “, 3.
Fraxinet, le Grand, 304.
Fréjus, 80, 285.
Garde Adhémar, 134.
Gaul, Southern, History, 5, 9.
Genoa, 461.
Gorbio, 440.
Gothic, Northern, 114.
Gourdon, 366.
Grasse, 350.
Greek and Roman Colonies--in Towns--10.
Grimaud, 302.
Holy Roman Empires, 15.
Hyères, 270.
Iles de Lérins, 319.
La Garde Freinet, 304.
Lagunes, The, 221, 235.
La Trinité, Tower of, 382.
La Turbie, 87, 428.
Le Bar, 365.
Le Cannet, 347.
Le Luc, 80.
Le Thor, 167.
Les Baux, 178.
Les Maures, 299.
Les Saintes Maries, 212.
Loano, 458.
Lyons, 34, 121.
Marseilles, 79, 213.
Mediterranean, Littoral of--History, 7.
Mentone, 440.
Molléges, 168.
Monaco, 432.
Monasteries, Origin of, 12.
“ Growth of, 19.
Mont Majour, 194.
Mont St Cassien, 307.
Mougins, 348.
Municipalities of the Middle Ages, 11.
Musée Calvert, 34.
Napoule, 305.
Narbonne, 230.
Nice, 86, 418.
Nimes, 64.
Noli, 461.
Notre Dame de Vie, 349.
“ “ du Pré, Le Mans, 102.
Oneglia, 456.
Orange, 40.
Pernes, 167.
Perpignan, 235.
Phocæans in Gaul, 7.
Phœnicians do., 7.
Pigna, 449.
Pointed Arch, 107, 113.
Pomponiana, 80.
Pont du Gard, 76.
“ St Bénezet, 151.
“ St Esprit, 136.
Porto Maurizio, 456.
Provence, History of, 25.
“ passed to France, 30.
Provençal Architecture, 105, 118, 211.
Puisalicon, 229.
Ravenna, 96.
Riez, 292.
Riviera, The, 79.
Roman Architecture, Early, 90.
“ “ The Arch in, 91.
Roman Architecture, Continued under Christianity, 94.
Roman Architecture, Remains in Provence, 33.
Roquebrune, 437.
Ste Agnès, 441.
St André, Castle of, 155, 421.
“ Césaire, 359.
“ Chamas, 77.
“ Front, Perigueux, 104.
“ Gabriel, 182.
“ Gilles, 204.
“ Honorat, Castle of, 323.
“ “ Island of, 319.
“ Mark’s, Venice, 98.
Ste Marguérite (Lérins), 343.
St Martin de Londres, 229.
“ “ les Vences, 418.
“ Maximin, 282.
“ Paul-Trois-Châteaux, 134.
“ “ -du-Var, 392.
“ Peyré, 306.
“ Pierre de Reddes, 229.
“ Raphäel, 299.
“ Remy, 48.
“ Ruf, 164.
“ Sauveur (Lérins), 323.
Ste Trinité (Lérins), 320.
St Tropez, 300.
“ Veran, 164.
San Miniato, 100.
“ Remo, 450.
Saracens, Invasion of, 15.
Saut du Loup, 369.
Savona, 461.
Sculpture in Provence, 107.