Cannes - Le Suquet

Cannes was a fishing village up to the mid 19th century, when it was "found" by french and foreign aristocrats who built holidays homes here.

In early 1870 the "Croisette" was built, still considered the "meeting place of the rich and beautiful".

Since then Cannes has stretched itself all along the coast.

More than three million tourists visit Cannes per year. There are about 130 hotels with some 8000 rooms, three casinos, restaurants, cafes, clubs, discos....

In medieval times, there were not only fishermen here, but as well monks, as Cannes belonged to the Abbaye de Lérins.

Over centuries Cannes was exposed to raids by pirates. Around 1530, Cannes detached from the monks who had controlled the city for hundreds of years and became independent.

The monks had built a fortified monastery at the top of the hill of Suquet which dominates the bay from the 11th century on. Conventual building, it is built on a quadrangular plan, like that of a castle with a keep, and it incorporates in its defensive enclosure a main building and a chapel. In the middle of the central courtyard stands a square tower whose height could allow the lookout.

It was sold as national property during the Revolution and served as a dwelling until 1878. In 1919, the municipality of Cannes acquired all the buildings to house its museum.