Saint-Michel Basilica, Menton, France

Saint-Michel Basilica is a Baroque jewel with its incredible exterior, the bell-tower, the coloured cobbles of the parvis arranged to form the Grimaldi’s coat of arms and the “rampes Saint-Michel” (a series of flights of stairs).

The construction of the Basilica begun in 1640 under the reign of Honoré II, but took several centuries to be completed. The façade was then renovated in the 19th Century adding typical decor of the period such as smooth columns with ionic and corinthian capitals.

References:

Menton Tourism

Religious sites in France

User Reviews

Richard Moore (3 years ago)
Such a great place, Italy is 1km away and you can feel it's influence

Meng Lee (3 years ago)
After our lunch, we went for a slow n relaxing stroll. The place was quiet and peaceful. While walking thru the street, you can see how the resident live in the building. The church was just there for everyone.

Monique Könning (4 years ago)
Beautiful basilique. A must see in the old town of Menton.

Christine & Andre Perrin (4 years ago)
Stunning architecture and views of Mediterranean Sea. To reach the Basilica, walked up several flights of stairs, where each landing had an in-layed stone design. Continued down pathways through several tenements. Fabulous!

Shaheen Alkhudhari (6 years ago)
It's beautiful during sunset to see the amazing colors and better to see it from the beachside to have a great view over the city and the church.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Allovoyages

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The settlement of Trepucó is one of the largest on Menorca, covering an area of around 49,240 square metres. Today, only a small part of the site can still be seen, the two oldest buildings, the talaiots (1000-700 BCE). Other remains include parts of the wall, two square towers on the west wall, the taula enclosure and traces of dwellings from the post-Talayotic period (650-123 BCE).The taula enclosure is one of the biggest on the island, despite having been subjected to what, by today’s standards, would be considered clumsy restoration work. This is one of the sites excavated around 1930 by Margaret Murray, a British archaeologist who was a pioneer of scientific research on Prehistoric Menorca.

The houses are perfectly visible on the west side of the settlement, due to excavation work carried out several years ago. They are multi-lobed with a central patio area and several rooms arranged around the outside. Looking at the settlement, it is easy to see that there was a clear division between the communal area (between the large talaiot and the taula) and the domestic area.The houses near the smaller talaiot seem to have been abandoned at short notice, meaning that the archaeological dig uncovered exceptionally well-preserved domestic implements, now on display in the Museum of Menorca.The larger talayot and the taula stand at the centre of a star-shaped fortification built during the 18th century.

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