Church of Saint Philomena

Its construction was decided by Abbé Bovis, the parish priest of Le Cannet, when Sainte-Catherine church could no longer accommodate the growing population.

Eglise Sainte-Philomène was consecrated a parish church in 1907 and christened Sainte-Philomène, a name coined by Jean-Marie Vianney, known as the Curé d’Ars, who helped spread devotion to this saint, who was canonized but whose life is not historically known.
Many Cannettans offered money or donations, but the municipality refused to participate in the undertaking. Abbé Bovis embarked on a tour of France to raise funds for its construction. “He was seen on every road, visiting towns and cities. Living on deprivation, he eloquently begged for a penny for the future church”. On his return, he was given a plot of land in the center of town. Work began on October 1, 1877, again without municipal approval. The latter had tried to dissuade Abbé Bovis, advising him instead to enlarge Sainte-Catherine, which would have helped to “eliminate all discord between the various hamlets of the commune”. The church was painstakingly completed in 1884.
Opened for worship on April 2, 1882, it was consecrated a parish church in 1907 and named Église Sainte-Philomène, in accordance with his wishes. Indeed, he brought back devotion to this saint from a “pious pilgrimage” to Ars. The priest, who had frequent meetings with Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney, known as the “Curé d’Ars”, vowed to build a church dedicated to the “radiant martyr”, the only saint canonized without any historical knowledge of her life. According to tradition, she was found dead in Rome in 275 A.D., and her relics, discovered in 1802 in the city’s catacombs, are said to have worked numerous miracles. But it turned out that the legend was false. In 1966, the Vatican Rites Congregation decided to remove St. Philomena from the calendar.

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