Today marks the fifth anniversary of the accession of HSH Prince Albert II as Sovereign Prince of Monaco upon the passing of his beloved father Prince Rainier III. Preperatory festivities began yesterday (the usual gift giving). The celebrations today begin at the National Cathedral of St Nicholas with a Thanksgiving Mass said by His Excellency Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco, with the participation of The Maitrise of the Cathedral of Monaco; Les Petits Chanteurs de Monaco and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte-Carlo. Afterwards, at about 11:15 AM today there will be a parade at the Court of Honour of the Princely Palace starting with the presentation of badges and medals to the Police and Security Officers of the palace by the Sovereign Prince after which the parade will begin at 11:30. At 8PM tonight there will be a gala soiree (by invitation only) at the Grimaldi Forim in the Salle des Princes. An hour later will be the Gala Evening with Michel Boujenah: Free at Last! Salle du Canton, Espace Polyvalentwith free bus service after the show. Photos will be posted later. It is expected that, for the first time, Charlene Wittstock will appear on the balcony with the Princely Family to honor the reign of her husband-to-be the Sovereign Prince.
Vive Albert II!
Vive Monaco!
Hello, we are students from Carmel High School in Mundelein USA. We are doing a report on religion in Monaco and we couldn't find any other way to contact you.
ReplyDeleteIf you would be kind enough to answer, we have a few questions:
-Do people in Monaco have any special religious traditions and customs?
-Are there religious orders and schools? (Catholic Schools, etc.)If so, what are they like.
-What are art and architecture like in Monaco, and does it have any religious influences?
Thanks,
Erin, Holly, Maggie, and Molly from Carmel
Monaco, as I'm sure you know, is an officially Catholic country (with complete freedom of religion of course) and so there are many special festivities on Catholic feast days. The most significant and uniquely Monegasque is the Feast of St Devote, patron saint of Monaco. You can find more information on that by clicking on the picture of St Devote on the sidebar here and then, at the bottom of that post you can find more information by clicking on the label "Catholic Church". You can also find more info via the link to the Archdiocese of Monaco in the links section. St Rainier is also a special saint in Monaco and special ceremonies are held on other feast days (like St John the Baptist).
ReplyDeleteI don't know of any specifically Monegasque religious orders but there are two private Catholic schools that I know of, those being the Institution Francois d'Assise Nicolas Barre (http://www.fanb.mc/index.php) and the Ecole des Soeurs Dominicaines. The architecture is pretty common for the riviera with French and Italian influences. When it comes to art there is a great deal and religious themes and themes from Greco-Roman mythology are common. One of the most famous artists to come out of Monaco was the sculptor Joseph-Francois Bosio. You can use the search box or the label "personalities" to find a page about him here as well.
I hope that helps and good luck on your project!
I wonder if the members of the royal family, who ultimately will gather to celebrate with Albert will play that new Monaco parlor game: Are you one of Charlene's two friends or an acquaintance? I wonder if his subjects will be happy to see her?
ReplyDeleteMom
Do you know if there are any religious orders or Catholic Parishes in Monaco? We have to email them for our project...
ReplyDelete