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When Piety Is Part of Culture
Article 9 of the Constitution of Monaco reads: "The Catholic, Apostolic and Roman religion is the religion of the State", and the Monégasques take it very seriously.
From Aleteia
By Camille Dalmas
Despite its highly cosmopolitan population, the Principality of Monaco is deeply attached to its traditions, rooted in the small state’s Catholic identity.The festivities for the saint's day begin on the morning of January 26 with a Mass in the Monegasque language at the Church of Saint Devota, which houses the relics of the 4th-century Corsican martyr. Spoken by only a handful of people, Monegasque is still taught as part of the mandatory curriculum for schoolchildren in the Principality through the 9th grade.
This dialect, closely related to Genoese, Corsican, and Provençal, owes much to the local Catholic Church, which defended and promoted it: Canon Georges Franzi (1914–1997) thus authored the first school textbooks in Monegasque, and Father Louis Frolla (1904–1978) wrote the first French-Monegasque dictionary.
Saint Devota holds a unique place in Monegasque literature. Indeed, the first book in the local language, published by the poet Louis Notari in 1927, is A legenda de Santa Devota — which translates as The Legend of Saint Devota. “All Monegasques know about Saint Devota, since they learn in school the history of Monaco, of which she is a part. She’s not only the patron saint; she’s part of the history and cultural identity,” explains Jean-Michel Manzone.
A boat set ablaze
A highlight of the Saint Devota festivities is the moment when the prince sets a boat ablaze. This gesture recalls the legendary attempt by bandits to steal the saint’s relics in the 11th century. “It’s an event that attracts huge crowds of Monegasques every year, as well as visitors from abroad,” notes Jean-Michel Manzone.
His wife, Claude Manzone, president of the Committee, explains that local tradition dictates that Monegasques try to retrieve the nails from the boat. Popular piety and faith attribute them with “protective power for the coming year.”
The following day, the feast of Saint Devota, is a public holiday. A pontifical Mass is celebrated in the cathedral, followed by a procession of the relics through the city. In recent years, high-ranking representatives of the Roman Curia and the College of Cardinals have been the guests of honor at these festivities: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in 2026; Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, a key figure in papal diplomacy, in 2025; and Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio, in 2024.
Numerous religious holidays
But Saint Devota isn’t the only manifestation of popular faith in the Principality. In Monaco, nine of the 12 public holidays are of religious origin: Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Pentecost Monday, Corpus Christi, the Assumption, All Saints’ Day, the Immaculate Conception, and Christmas.
The Immaculate Conception — to whom Monaco’s cathedral is dedicated — is, moreover, a “double feast” for Monegasques. The Blessed Virgin is also honored for the protection she granted the city during the plague of 1631, notes Jean-Michel Manzone. This feast is marked by a “vow procession,” recalling the vow which Prince Honoré II and the Monegasque people made to thank their protector.
In addition to these official dates, there are numerous other non-holiday festivities that give rise to major popular events. This is the case for Holy Week and its impressive Way of the Cross on Good Friday; the feast of Saint John with its bonfires on June 24; the feast of Saint Roman, another saint whose relics are found in Monaco, on August 9; Saint Cecilia’s feast day, which is Music Day in Monaco, on November 22; and Saint Nicholas’ Day on December 6, patron saint of the Committee of Traditions and long honored by the Monegasques.
Lastly, for Christmas, the Committee organizes a “Nativity scene trail” in the Principality. “Everyone participates, even the shopkeepers. It might surprise tourists, but here it’s not forbidden to set up Nativity scenes!” jokes Jean-Michel Manzone, referring to the controversies in neighboring France.
“These traditions are important in Monaco,” notes the Committee’s secretary, “because we’re a diverse population. The Irish, the Germans, the Russians… each community has its own customs, its own circles, its own activities; they don’t participate in all our events, but we often see them come together during certain major religious ceremonies: for Saint Devota, for Christmas…”
The Archconfraternity of Mercy
All these ceremonies are coordinated by the National Committee of Monegasque Traditions, with the active participation of the Archconfraternity of Mercy. The origins of the local confraternity are very ancient: they date back to the 15th century, under the influence of Genoa, where the first “penitents” appeared during that period.
Committed to serving the poor, the brotherhood earned its reputation in 1631 during the plague. It was temporarily split into two brotherhoods of black and white penitents, the latter of which were finally reunited in 1813: “its members now wear a white sackcloth and a black hood,” notes Claude Passet, a member of the Archconfraternity.
Since then, the organization — sponsored by the diocese and comprising 120 members, half of whom are active — has continued to play a role in fostering solidarity in Monaco and holds an important place during various festivals.
The importance of popular religious traditions was particularly emphasized toward the end of Francis’ pontificate. He viewed popular piety as a form of antidote to elitist religiosity. He drew this conception from the Aparecida Document (2007), in which popular religiosity was described as the “precious treasure of the Catholic Church in Latin America.”
Leo XIV, a former missionary in Peru, was naturally familiar with this text, the writing of which was supervised by the then-Cardinal Bergoglio. It became a pastoral compass for the dioceses of South America.
Pope Francis’s last encyclical, Dilexit Nos (2024), was devoted to popular devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and his most recent international trip, on December 15, 2024, was for a congress on popular religiosity — in which Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost participated.
Pictured: St Devota, Patroness of Monaco