Listen To The Article
A testament to a resplendent past, the Massena Museum, once known as the Massena Villa, distinguishes itself in Nice with its Greco-Roman-inspired architecture. It gracefully stands beside the Negresco, facing the Mediterranean. To cross the threshold of this ancestral museum, trodden by thousands, where imprints and echoes of voices linger, is to embark on a temporal journey — a return to the Belle Époque, a period that transports us to an elegant world of masquerade balls with its festive allure.
This place, one can feel, has retained within its very stones the passage of men who have shaped history. It immerses us, forthwith, in the history of the County of Nice and the connections that bind the Massena family to Napoleon. The story unfolds like a tale, with the wish of Prince Victor of Essling, a representative of the Alpes-Maritimes under the Second Empire and a descendant of Marshal Masséna, to construct a villa on Nice’s seafront. His inspiration is the neoclassical Rothschild Villa in Cannes, and he commissions architects Hans-Georg Tersling and Aaron Messiah to adopt the Empire style in homage to Napoleon I, to whom the Massena family owes its titles. The gardens are designed by the renowned landscape architect and botanist Edouard Andre — a dream that materialized in 1901. The villa hosts resplendent receptions, inviting European aristocracy who sought the sunlit winter of Nice.
However, following the conclusion of the Great War, Victor of Essling’s son, Andre Massena, bequeaths the villa to the city of Nice. He imposes two conditions: that it be transformed into a local history museum and that its gardens be opened to the public. In 1921, the villa, metamorphosed into a museum, opens its Greco-Roman columns to those eager to discover its treasures.
As the years go by, the Massena Museum, weathered and aged, yearns for rejuvenation. A restoration project is initiated at the onset of the 21st century. Lengthy years of meticulous restoration breathe new life into the museum in 2008, with the gardens reconstituted in accordance with the original design. Now, it hosts temporary art exhibitions, but also literary ones, such as the one titled “Napoleon, Hero of Literature” on the occasion of the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death in the autumn of 2021. That year also marked the museum’s centennial.
Crossing the garden, now named “Garden of the Legion of Honor,” which overlooks the Promenade des Anglais, one emerges into a park of luxuriant plants, flowers of every hue, groves, foliage, palms and orange trees where seekers of silence come to sit on a bench, book in hand. Amid this profusion of vegetation and bird songs, shaded paths exude a romantic ambiance. A little farther stands a somber and painful reminder — the memorial to the victims of the July 14, 2016, terrorist attack, inviting reflection and remembrance.
We find ourselves within the confines of the Massena Museum. On the first floor, the grand gallery leads to sumptuous reception rooms: the portrait salon displaying likenesses of Napoleon I, Napoleon III and Eugenie; the grand salon with paintings depicting Marshal Massena’s battles, notably those of Essling and Ebelsberg; and the smoking room furnished with Empire-style armchairs, guéridon and console. The dining room, conceived to complement Victor Massena’s cosmopolitan lifestyle, is extended by a magnificent glass veranda in a half-circular shape, offering splendid views and direct access to the gardens via the terraces. A succession of salons leads to Prince Essling’s office, and finally, to a reading room where bound volumes fill the cabinets. We learn that Victor Massena purchased a substantial portion of furniture from Govone Castle near Turin, true masterpieces of Turin art, as well as carved wooden decorations, door tops, friezes and frescoes.
The second floor unveils the fabulous history of the County of Nice, spanning from the 19th to the early 20th century, following a chronological and thematic approach. Displayed on the walls are posters and municipal decrees, engravings and watercolors, and one may also admire traditional costumes showcased in large glass cabinets. Moving from room to room, one lingers over artworks testifying to Nice’s annexation to France, the Belle Époque on the Côte d’Azur and traditions of Nice. Attention is also drawn to paintings by 19th-century Nice landscape artists like Alexis Mossa and Antoine Trachel. A collection of jewelry, ceremonial clothing, and accessories belonging to Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Josephine add to the venue’s magnificence.
The third floor alone harbors invaluable treasures. We learn that Chevalier Victor de Cessole, an eminent collector of fine books, generously donated to the city of Nice his library, amassed over several generations, comprising thousands of works and documents principally devoted to the history of the County of Nice, Provence, Savoy and Northern Italy. Included are dialectical works: poetic and literary pieces, political and satirical newspapers, as well as scientific works, travel narratives, and a collection of pious images of local saints. A mountaineer, photographer and president of the Alpes-Maritimes Alpine Club, Victor de Cessole also donated all his mountain-related documents.
The Cessole Library, inaugurated in 1937, now welcomes researchers by appointment. The works reveal the multiple historical affiliations of Nice: initially a part of Provence, then annexed to the Duchy of Savoy (1388-1792), to France (1792-1814), to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia (1814-1860), and finally to France again. Over the years, the library has been enriched with private collections, rendering it an unparalleled heritage library. At dusk, from the promenade, one can discern the beautiful historic facades of the illuminated museum, an enduring symbol of cultural splendor and historical continuity.
