Description
Every year, the City of Nice pays tribute to Saint Réparate, a young martyr from the 3rd century and the city’s patron saint.
Réparate was a 15-year-old girl who was martyred around the year 250 CE in Caesarea of Palestine; her body was placed in a boat and set adrift on the Mediterranean Sea. According to legend, her remains drifted all the way to Nice with the help of angels. This miracle is said to be the origin of the name “Bay of Angels.” The saint’s remains were buried in a chapel located in the old town before being transferred in 1690 to the cathedral built on the site of the former chapel. For many years now, on Saint Réparate’s feast day, her statue has been carried in a procession from the sea to the city, from the Church of Saint-François to the Cathedral.
