It’s Travel Thursday! Time for some destination inspiration.
Today’s photo came from the celebrations for St. Devota, patron saint of Monaco that took place on January 26-27, 2015.
The Visit Monaco website provides the following information about the tradition behind the celebrations:
“According to legend, Devota (Dévote in French) a young Christian woman and native of Corsica, was martyred by the Prefect Barbarus under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian at a date that we can estimate at between 303 or 304 AD.
During the night, her body was stolen by believers, put in a boat and transported to Monaco, where it was buried in a chapel in a valley known as the “Gaumates,” near the port, on 27 January of the same year.
Under Honoré II, in the 17th century, Saint Devota became patron saint of Monaco.
The tradition has been perpetuated each year since 1874 – a boat is burned on a pyre in the presence of the Sovereign and the Princely Family, accompanied by Monegasque dignitaries.
Once the boat has been burned, fireworks are let off on Port Hercule.
On January 27, the Feast Day, a Mass is celebrated in the Cathedral by the Archbishop of the Diocese, in the presence of the Prince’s Government and numerous elected representatives. The ceremony is followed by a procession, in which the penitents of the Brotherhood of Mercy take part.”
I’ve been to Monaco, and it’s fabulous!
To find out more about St. Devota and these special celebrations, visit StDevoteMonaco.com.
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