Why go
Saint-Michel and Chapelle Saint-Pierre show different uses of religious buildings, while Rue Obscure reveals the dense old waterfront. The Citadel and La Darse then place those streets inside the larger story of a fortified port. Set aside La Darse if you want to follow the naval chapter further.
The full story
Église Saint-Michel was rebuilt in the 18th century in an Italian baroque style over an earlier church. Inside are a marble altar, religious artworks and a late 18th-century organ by the Grinda brothers. Chapelle Saint-Pierre dates from the 16th century but served for generations as storage for fishermen’s nets and gear. Jean Cocteau added murals in 1957 showing the life of Saint Peter and local fishermen. Rue Obscure, the “Dark Street,” runs under the old harbor-front houses and dates to the medieval town. The Citadel was built in the 1550s after attacks made the bay’s defense urgent; it now holds civic and cultural uses. La Darse, set away from the main old-town waterfront, was built for Savoy’s galleys and retains dockyard buildings. These sights reward a walk organized by level and purpose: old-town interiors, covered passage, then the working and fortified edges of the harbor.