In Monaco, a national holiday according to the calendar!
The “Sovereign’s Day”, or “National Day”, will be held on Saturday November 19, 2022 in Monaco, in the presence of Albert II, Princess Charlene and the entire princely family. The date of this day of commemoration, one of the most important in the Monegasque calendar, has nevertheless varied greatly over the past century and a half.
In 1860, France annexed Savoy and Nice, but also the “free cities” of Menton and Roquebrune, which definitively escaped Monegasque authority. In exchange, Napoleon III agrees to renounce any protectorate over the remaining territory of the principality, recognizing its total independence. Three years earlier, the young Prince Charles III had decreed that his feast day, Saint-Charles, November 4, would henceforth be that of the “Prince’s Day”.
A celebration decided by Charles III
Until 1871, it was limited to the celebration of a Te Deum. Eden – Journal de Monaco of November 7, 1858, describes it in these terms: “Thursday 4, on the occasion of St-Charles, patronal feast of the prince, a Te Deum was sung in the parish church. The Governor General, the civil and military authorities of Monaco and the consular officials of France and Spain attended, as well as part of the population and a certain number of foreigners.
“During the ceremony, several pieces of religious music were performed by the casino orchestra which, in the evening, was heard again in the halls of the palace. Delicious music, that of the Fairy of the Reeds, ballet of M. Hermann’s composition was rendered in a delightful manner. SA thanked the orchestra in charming terms.”
Charles III, who most often resides at the imperial court, at Saint-Cloud or at Compiègne, does not appear there. Once or twice a year, he deigns to visit his subjects who then reserve for him the splendor of a “solemn entry”. It was in 1863 that the national anthem, composed by Théophile Bellando de Castro to words by Louis Notari, was performed publicly for the first time:
“At daybreak, says the Monaco newspaper, the bells had given the first signal of the party. The canon follows their example; and, for long hours, the echoes of the mountains repeated in the distance that the old town of the Grimaldis was celebrating a glorious anniversary. At half-past ten, all the functionaries of the principality, assembled at the government hall, went in a body to the church of St-Nicolas to ask God to shower the prince and his august family with heavenly blessings. […] As soon as the official procession was assembled, the casino orchestra, conducted by ME Lucas, played the national air.”
In 1865, the national militia escorted the procession from the government hall to the church. Five years later, it will be repeated by the prince’s guards.
Balls, shows and illuminations
Very quickly, the Société des Bains de Mer and the casino, bought by Louis Blanc, took part in the festivities with balls, shows and illuminations, as evidenced by the Monaco newspaper in 1871:
“At night, the Place Monte Carlo, the facade of the Cercle des Étrangers and the gardens of the casino offered a magical view. On all sides there were only garlands of fires of various colors, lawns dotted with luminous flowers. , trees with incandescent fruits. Long live Charles III! […] At 8 a.m. the firework party began. […] During the pyrotechnic festival, the Philharmonic Society of our city made itself heard on the Place de Monte Carlo.
“Splendid weather favored this celebration. The sun flooded us with its rays throughout the day, and our luminous sky, this beautiful sky under which we live double, as Madame de Sévigné said, did not cease to extend over the theater of our national flourishings its vast pavilion of azure. […] The Saint-Charles festival ended after the fireworks we mentioned above, with a magnificent concert. The crowd invaded the casino room in the blink of an eye, which soon found itself too narrow. The program, admirably composed, was moreover well made to produce on the public the effect of a magnet.”
From now on, a parade of arms will take place on the Place du Palais. In 1875, the rifle corps appeared there “whose martial air and excellent bearing under arms have been noticed”… On the death of Charles, in 1889, the “Prince’s Day” was moved to May 8 , day of Saint-Albert-le-Grand. However, the great traveler that was Albert I will never participate.
Louis II in the uniform of a French general
When he in turn died in 1922, his son Louis II did not want us to celebrate August 25, his own feast day. Indeed, at the time, the Côte d’Azur mainly had a winter season, and during the summer most shops were closed. He therefore decides to fix the “national holiday” on January 17, feast of Saint-Antoine-l’Ermite, patron saint of his granddaughter Antoinette, then heiress in second.
Louis II, who made more frequent stays in the principality than his predecessors, took advantage of this opportunity to present decorations, in particular the order of Saint-Charles. Thus, in 1923, the Monaco newspaper report :
“The National Day, set by Prince Louis II for January 17, included the same program as in previous years. But, due to circumstances, it gave rise to even warmer events than usual, attachment to the dynasty and the spontaneous expression of popular sentiment towards the new sovereign. […]
“At 10.30 a.m., a first salvo of artillery announced that HSH the Prince was leaving the Palace and, immediately, the municipal band attacked the Monegasque anthem. The cars stopped in front of the main entrance. The princely family got out, while that the bugles of the carabinieri sound “in the fields”. HSH Prince Louis II [est] in the full dress of a French general, bearer of the red and green fourragères of the Foreign Legion and the Grand Cordon of the Order of Saint Charles.”
During the Second World War, the principality knew the affairs of the occupation. On January 17, 1945, she had just been freed from Nazi custody. Apart from the traditional Te Deumthe program remains modest:
“A delegation of young girls was admitted to the palace to offer HSH Princess Antoinette, on the occasion of her patronymic feast, a magnificent wreath of flowers accompanied by gracious poetry as a tribute of gratitude for all the good that Her Highness spread around it. In the afternoon, a football match was held at the Louis II stadium, and the II Prince Rainier Cup for reduced seaplanes was played in the waters of the port. In the evening, free sessions were given in the cinemas of Monaco-Ville and La Condamine, while a gala performance for the benefit of the Monegasque Committee for Assistance and Relief [avait lieu] auditorium of the Monte-Carlo theatre.”
On the other hand, the following year, peace was restored and January 17, 1946 was a day of general jubilation, as evidenced by the Monaco newspaper “Last Thursday, the Monegasque population, with which the members of the foreign colonies had mingled fraternally, described with joyful fervor the feast of their sovereign, which also happens to be the principality’s national holiday. For the first time since six painful years, this joy was able to manifest itself freely in an atmosphere of peace rediscovered both by official ceremonies and by popular joys. The city had put on its decoration of feast days.”
Blessed Rainier of Arezzo
Louis II died on May 9, 1949. His grandson and successor, Rainier III, made the first national holiday of his reign coincide with the ceremonies of his enthronement on April 11, 1950:
“The celebration of the accession of HSH Prince Rainier III and of the first national holiday of his reign gave rise to ceremonies and prosperity which occurred with particular brilliance and pomp. […] Religious ceremonies, official receptions, parades, shows, concerts, ballets, fireworks, illuminations, sports meetings, popular balls, everything was done to please the crowds. But, despite their already large scale and their sumptuousness, these events retained a character of moving simplicity and they testified to a communion of feelings between the perfect prince who had just taken the destinies of his country into his own hands and the Monegasque people whose win affection.”
From 1952, the Sovereign Prince revived the custom by declining the date of his patronal feast – that of Blessed Rainier of Arezzo, November 19 – as a national holiday. In this respect, the direction of social services “informs employers and employees”, by its circular n°52-38, published in the Monaco newspaper that “replacing the day of April 11, the day of November 19 is, in accordance with the provisions of endorsement No. 1 of the national collective labor agreement, a day off and paid regardless of the method of remuneration of the staff”.
In 1956, Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco for a few months, took part in her first national holiday. The couple returned from New York by boat three days earlier. After the usual celebrations and a grand lunch at the palace, a gala is given on the evening of November 19, at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, performed by “LL.AA.SS. the sovereign prince, in full uniform and Princess Grace , in pale blue dress wearing the cord of the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles. […] Immediately after the performance of the Monegasque anthem, the elegant assembly turns to the main box and applauds for a long time.
In 2005, Albert II will retain November 19, in homage to his father, instead of November 15 – the day of Saint Albert-le-Grand. A true national holiday, these celebrations each year mark the attachment and loyalty of Monegasques to their sovereign family and their dear little homeland.