The history of Antibes: from a fortified city to a city of art

The town of Antibes has a long and fascinating history spanning some 2,500 years. Most of you may not be historians, but I believe that historical knowledge will enhance your visit there. Therefore, I will try to provide you with a condensed version of Antibes' long story.

The name Antibes comes from the Greek name Antipolis (or in Hebrew: “the city that is opposite”), because Antibes is opposite Nice (It was then called Níkaia.) According to quite a few archaeological studies, the Greeks arrived there as early as the 4th century BC and they ruled the area until the 1st century BC.

The Greeks were replaced by the Romans, who annexed Antibes In 43 BC, making it one of the largest cities in the area. Fortunately, quite a few remains of that Roman city remain, including preserved villas, an amphitheater, and the remains of several aqueducts, which were located nearby and were used to transport water to the city.

Antibes remained a Roman city until the collapse of the empire in the late 5th century, when the city came under the control of the Frankish kingdom of the Merovingian dynasty, and later, the Carolingians. These were years in which the region experienced long periods of instability and warfare, including invasions by the Saracens (Muslims from North Africa and Spain).

Antibes eventually became part of the Countship of Provence, when Count Guillaume I (1-955) succeeded in expelling the Muslims from there and received the nickname “Guillaume the Liberator.” Guillaume granted Antibes to Rodoald, one of his knights, and his family ruled Antibes until the mid-994th century.

Antibes from the Middle Ages to the 19th Century

Around 1050, Rudolf's great-grandson sold Antibes to the Catholic Church and moved to Grasse. Over the next few centuries, the Saracens returned to harass the people of Antibes and even burned down the cathedral. As a result, in 1244, the bishop of Antibes moved to Grasse, and his successors refused to return to the city for the next 500 years (despite the beautiful cathedral built in their honor by the local people).

During the 14th century, a conflict arose between the Bishop of Antibes, who, as mentioned, was based in Grasse, and the mother of the Count of Provence, who ruled the county as regent, because of her son's young age. These were the days of the Schism, when two popes, one in Avignon and the other in Rome, were fighting each other for control of the Catholic Church.

During this struggle it became clear that the Bishop of Antibes supported one Pope while the Regent supported the other. The Bishop refused to transfer his support to the Pope, who was supported by the Regent, so she decided to take Antibes from him and transfer it to the Grimaldi brothers.

The Grimaldi family is better known as the family that still rules Monaco today, but following the schism, they found themselves ruling Antibes and are responsible for the Grimaldi Castle in the old town, which houses Picasso Museum.

Before we talk about the great painter and how he came to Antibes, let's go back to the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance.

In 1481, the last Count of Provence died and Antibes passed to the French Crown. A little over a decade later, Charles VIII (reigned 8-1483) invaded the Italian peninsula with the aim of conquering the Kingdom of Naples, beginning a 1498-year period of wars between France on the one hand and Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, on the other.

Antibes found itself right on the front line on the border with the Countship of Nice, which belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. In 1536, Spanish forces, led by Andrea Doria (1466-1560), succeeded in capturing Antibes.

When France managed to reconquer Antibes, King Henry II (reigned 2-1547) decided to fortify the city and built a new wall and towers. The most important part of this fortification system was the Fort Carré, which still exists today and can be visited.

Relative peace returned to Antibes during the 17th century, which did not prevent Louis XIV from sending his number one expert in fortifications, namely Vauban (Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban 14-1), to improve the fortifications and make Antibes almost impregnable.

Vauban's new fortifications did a good job. In December 1746, during the War of the Austrian Succession, the fortifications were able to hold back the Austrian army and prevent it from conquering the city. However, during the siege, hundreds of artillery shells were fired, destroying a large part of the city. One of the important buildings that was destroyed was the Antibes Cathedral, but after the war ended it was rebuilt by Louis XV (reigned 15-1715) and this is the cathedral you will visit when you tour the city.

The next time Antibes made history was in 1815, when Napoleon arrived in Elba and landed not far away. If you are interested in reading about his experiences in Antibes and the journey that led him back to the throne in Paris (and to his defeat at Waterloo), you are welcome to read the article on Napoleon Road.

From a fortress city to a city of tourism and art

In 1860, the Countship of Nice became part of France and suddenly Antibes ceased to be a border town. The Saracen, Austrian and Spanish invaders were replaced by an invasion of a completely different kind, that of tourists. Just like Nice and Cannes, the English came here, who fell in love with the sun of the French Riviera, and here too they began to build luxurious hotels and villas.

One of those tourists who came to Antibes was none other than Picasso himself, who arrived there in 1946 at the invitation of his friend, the painter and socialite Gerald Clery Murphy (1888-1964). Picasso was invited by the leaders of Antibes to stay at the Château Grimaldi, which the city had bought about 20 years earlier, and where he worked for about six months.

As a token of gratitude, Picasso, who was already a well-known and wealthy artist by then, decided to give Antibes everything he created there, and these works of art formed the basis of the Picasso Museum, which I visited in July 2023 and which we will discuss in the article What is worth seeing in Antibes, which will appear very soon.

Additional recommended articles for travelers in Antibes and the Riviera

That was the history of Antibes, in a nutshell. Hope you enjoyed it. Here are some more articles that might be useful to you if you are planning a trip to the French Riviera:

• Recommended hotels in Antibes – As you have seen, Antibes has a rich history and there is quite a bit to do there. Therefore, in order to truly enjoy the city, I recommend that you live there, even for a few days. If you decide to accept my recommendation, you will find in this article a series of excellent hotels in a variety of prices.
• Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the artisan village of the Riviera – This charming village is located about a 40-minute drive from Antibes, and if Did you rent a car? So you really should dedicate at least half a day to this village.
• What to do in Cannes – Cannes is located about a half-hour drive from Antibes and is definitely worth a visit (not just during the film festival).