Sespitellum - it was under this name that the town of Sospel, located on the Bevera River, was first mentioned in the chronicles of monks in 1095.

Sospel became prosperous in the 13th century when an important salt trade route - the 'salt route' - between Nice and Turin passed through it, and those using this route paid tolls to cross the bridge over the Bevera River. Today, the Sospel Bridge is a rare historical monument of the early 13th century, originally built of wood, and in 1522 rebuilt in stone. Note: With the exception of the lower part of the tower, most of the bridge is a 20th century reconstruction, based on the original design and using the same stone, after significant damage during the fighting of World War II.

Its central tower is a post for paying the salt duty. In the Middle Ages, salt was both a necessary seasoning and the only preservative for meat and fish in the Middle Ages, which predetermined not only the importance of the route itself, but also prompted the authorities to establish a tax on salt - “gabelle”.

The old town in Sospel is located on both sides of the bridge. The smaller historical area on the left bank of the Bevera River follows Republic Street and a small square at the end of the bridge with colorful houses with arches. It’s hard to imagine that there was once a brisk trade here, a caravan with mules, because now it’s so quiet there that you can hear the drops of the ancient fountain counting down the seconds into infinity.

Republic Street leads to one of Sospel's landmarks: the Sainte-Croix Chapel, a chapel of white penitents built on the site of an earlier church. This 16th-century chapel, crowned by a bell tower added in the 19th century, is modest on the outside but the interior contains many paintings, frescoes, flags and other objects of artistic interest.

On the same side of the bridge along the river, pay attention to the houses standing in a motley multi-level wall: their facades are decorated in the “trompe l’oeil” style (French trompe – l’oeil – “deceptive eye”) - a method of depiction and a set of technical techniques that create the illusion of the impossible , or the representation of something accessible, tangible, but actually non-existent.

Saint Michel Cathedral

The central area is Place Saint-Nicolas with the Cathedral of Saint-Michel. Built in the mid-17th century, the cathedral combines French classicism and Italian baroque in its architecture. Nearby is an 11th century Romanesque bell tower. In the niches of the façade of the building there are statues - the patron saints of the city - St. Hippolytus and St. Absendus.

Entering the cathedral, you will be amazed by the richness of the decoration, the abundance of statues, altars, frescoes, flowers, patterns, gilding, installations on a

biblical theme; all this is permeated with rays of light refracted through multi-colored stained glass windows. Despite the luxurious antique organ above the entrance (Italian organ of the Agati brothers from 1843), the main music of the cathedral will be ringing silence.

To the left of the central altar is the composition “The Immaculate Mother of God of Sospel” from 1520. To the right is the carved wood altar “Virgin of Compassion”. The central altar is so multi-layered, symbolic and filled with secret and obvious meanings that you want to stay here longer to read the messages of your ancestors. 

In Sospel, the Old Town, built back in the Middle Ages, is well preserved. A bridge built in the 11th century was built across the Bevera River, which divides Sospel into two parts, and next to it is a tower that served as a customs house. During World War II, in 1944, the bridge was severely damaged, but was restored by 1953. The central area is Place Saint-Nicolas with the Cathedral of Saint-Michel. Built in the mid-17th century, the cathedral combines French classicism and Italian baroque in its architecture. Nearby is a bell tower built in Romanesque style, dating back to an earlier era.