Fortified Tower of Menton

En un regard

Le château en bref

The old castle of Menton was a medieval fortress that dominated the town from the hill overlooking the port, on the site now occupied by the Vieux-Château cemetery. In 1346, the lordship of Menton was sold by the Vento family to Charles Grimaldi of Monaco for 16,000 florins, placing the town and its castle under the rule of the Grimaldi family until 1848. The stones reused during the demolition of the site were attributed to the "castle of Jean II". During the French Revolution, the castle, property of the Prince of Monaco, was declared national property. On 4 July 1805, the municipality decided that the site of the Vieux-Château would be assigned to a cemetery, for lack of any other available land, and it acquired the site on 2 November 1807 for 5,341 francs. The old walls, which had fallen into ruin, were then gradually demolished between 1807 and 1875, and the stones were sold in lots to Menton property owners for the construction of new buildings. The Vieux-Château cemetery occupies the site today.