Tombeau de Prosper Mérimée

English translation

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History

Afflicted with a respiratory illness, Prosper Mérimée stayed with increasing regularity in Cannes from 1858 onwards. On the Côte d'Azur, he reconstructed an active life answering his multiple curiosities. He led a social life, took interest in projects transforming the city (railway, Siagne canal, etc.) and explored the surroundings discovering the heritage. His excursions reveal a man sensitive to the flora, fauna and Mediterranean landscape. He never, however, broke the link with Paris where he returned one last time in 1870 to try to weigh politically on the destiny of the Empress as the Second Empire collapsed. It was on his return to Cannes that he died on 23 September 1870 and had himself buried in the cemetery of the Grand Jas, in the Protestant section. Built shortly before Mérimée's death, the cemetery of the Grand Jas opened its gates in 1866. It counts among the public amenities realized under the Second Empire, consequence of the success of Cannes leisure activities initiated by the arrival of Lord Brougham in 1834. Made in marble, Mérimée's burial is modest. The concession was purchased by his lady companion, Frances Lagden, in 1871. It was not until 1932 that a bronze medallion, realized after the plaster by Alexander Munro (1868), was affixed to the tombstone.