The Palace of Princes

In the fifteenth century, the former seigneurial house, built by John I Grimaldi on Long Street, was completely transformed by Prince Honoré II in the seventeenth century. The palace was completed in 1650. The prince placed a commemorative plaque on it: “Honoré II, to replace the ancient citadel destroyed by the work of the wars and which was later to be restored at a favourable time, enlarged and embellished this house previously reserved for the use of an individual, now that of the princes, on the year of its 1650 jubilee.”.
In the eighteenth century, the princely residence was home to the services of the governor of Menton. During the Revolution, the building was first refurbished to house the town hall, then sold as a national property. The facade has the particularity of having the noble floor on the third level.
The diamond crossing, located near the ancient palace of the princes, allowed to reach directly the shore at the foot of the rock of the old city. There was a landing stage where the princes could dock in order to reach without detour their palace on Rue Longue. An anecdote tells that the ladies of the princely suite have lost jewels in this dark and difficult crossing. After each passage, the Mentonnais ran to look for these precious stones. More likely is this other story that is reported: at night, the twinkling of the moon’s reflections on the sea made one think of the brilliance of diamonds.

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