Saint Devota
After the church wedding, the new Princess will lay her bridal bouquet in Saint Dévote’s Chapel.
Saint Dévote’s Chapel
The original chapel, prior to 1070, the date where it appears in archived documents, built against the side of the Gaumates glen, facing east, occupied more or less the area of the current Chapel des Reliques. It was restored and most probably enlargened in the 16th century. Prince Honoré II added a bay in 1606 and a porch in 1637 (the current gallery). In 1870, the façade was rebuilt, then extended in 1891 in a composite “18th century Neo-Greek” style. The steeple, 15 metres high, dates from 1870.
The front steps, with the initials S and D surmounted by a crown, featuring decorative motifs in black and white pebbles, were made by the Del Torchio brothers in 1880.
Charles Lenormand, the architect of the Cathedral and the Saint Charles Church, was in charge of the extension work by building an additional bay, a false transept and a chancel in apse. The work was carried out from 1885 to 1891. The chapel became the parish church in 1887.
The glazier, Nicolas Lorin from Chartres, was entrusted with the stained glass windows. Some were recuperated including those from the former Saint Charles School, established in the past on the Rocher by Monseigneur Theuret, the first Bishop of Monaco, and reassembled here. These windows, destroyed during the bombing of Monaco in August 1944, were restored or repaired, as for example the stained glass window of Saint Dévote (D, on the left) made by Fassi Cadet of Nice in 1948.
Saint Dévote and Monaco
One of the oldest traditions of the Principality of Monaco that has marked the national culture in areas as diverse as religion, folklore and popular beliefs, history, literature, art, painting and music, numismatics and stamp collecting, is undoubtedly the legend that is known as the "Legend of Saint Devote" passed down from a medieval document. This tradition holds a special place in the hearts of Monegasques, as clearly demonstrated throughout the centuries in the history of the city.
The legend, Passio Devotae (“Passion of Saint Devote” in Latin) became known thanks to copies drawn up by solicitors in the 17th and 18th centuries of original documents that had disappeared over time. A copy was printed out for the first time in 1613 in Lyons. Several Italian, Corsican and French authors published various work in the same era, having been inspired by such a document.
The oldest version of the legend known today, dates from five centuries prior to all previous copies. It was discovered by Claude Passet amongst the extensive collection of manuscripts in the National Library of Paris, as four pages bound in a Latin manuscript dating from the late 16th or early 17th century, according to the writing and contents.Below is a translation as near as possible to the original text.The manuscript - written on parchment - comes from an ancient abbey in the South East of France.It allegedly used to belong to Cardinal Mazarin before being handed over upon his death to the King’s Library, which later became the National Library.
The legend
According to the legend, Devota - Dévote, a young Christian girl originally from Corsica, was, according to legend, martyred by Barbarus, prefect under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, at a date we can situate between 303 and 304. Her body, taken and hidden by fellow believers during the night, was put into a boat destined for Africa.
However, adverse winds directed the boat towards Monaco and the Saint’s body was consequently buried in the chapel of the glen known as "des Gaumates", close to the port, on 27th January of the same year.
To find out more:www.saintedevotemonaco.com