Monaco National Day Celebration on KTO — KTOTV
November 19 is the Principality of Monaco’s National Day. This “sovereign’s day” is the most important day of the year for Monegasques. KTO broadcast live the thanksgiving mass for the Monegasque National Day at 9:30 a.m. in the Notre-Dame Immaculate Cathedral of Monaco.
Monaco’s National Day is also called “Sovereign’s Day” or “Prince’s Day”. The Reigning Prince is the heir to the oldest ruling dynasty in the world. Monegasques demonstrate their attachment to the person of the prince and also celebrate their belonging to the principality of Monaco.
Follow the thanksgiving mass for the Monegasque National Day, Saturday November 19 at 9:30 a.m.
Origin of the Monegasque National Day, why November 19?
These Monegasque festivities date back to the rule of Prince Charles III who reigned over the Principality from 1856 to 1889. It was at this time that Monaco became a modern state with a national flag and diplomatic representation abroad. . Charles III then decides that November 4, Saint Charles’ Day, will become the “Sovereign’s Day”. The course of the festivities is organized and the Monegasques celebrate what they call: the “Prince’s Day”. In 1890, Prince Albert I fixed the Prince’s feast day on Saint Albert’s Day, that is to say on 15 November. With few exceptions, the day of the national holiday varied according to the first name of the reigning prince.
In 1949, Prince Rainier III fixed the date of the Prince’s Day on November 19, the date of Saint Rainier of Arezzo, a Franciscan religious. At the time of his accession, Prince Albert II did not wish to change this date, in memory of his father. The date of November 19 has been maintained, transforming the “Prince’s Day” into a real national holiday.
The course of the festivities
Traditionally, the festivities begin with a Te Deum sung in Saint-Nicolas Cathedral, followed by a mass of thanksgiving because Catholicism is the state religion in Monaco. The Prince, the princely family and the authorities of the Principality will be present, as well as the Archbishop of Monaco, Mgr Dominique-Marie David. After the mass, a parade and a parade on the Place du Palais take place in the presence of the Reigning Prince and his family, in front of the Monegasque population who acclaim the Sovereign.