Place du Palais de Justice

The Palais de Justice in Nice stands apart with its heavy, neoclassical facade and tall columns that overlook the wide, stone-paved square. This building replaced the former Saint-Dominique convent after the original structure fell into disrepair during the nineteenth century. In eighteen eighty-five, a massive fire gutted the interior, forcing a complete reconstruction. During the subsequent clearing of the rubble, workers unearthed remnants of the ancient chapel, which remain buried beneath the courthouse steps today.