Boat burning ceremony this evening

St Dévote is the patron saint of Monaco and every year on the 26 and 27 January she is honoured in a ritual that begins this morning with a special mass held in the Monegasque language in the cathedral. Later this evening at around 6.30pm a small wooden boat will arrive on quai Albert 1er near the picturesque church of St Dévote tucked away in the narrow valley in the rock leading up to the railway station.

A torchlit procession bears the saint’s relics to the church, arriving around 7pm, where Prince Albert II and the Archbishop of Monaco, Mgr Bernard Barsi, will be waiting to receive them. Around 7.45pm the Prince will set fire to the boat on the apron in front of the church and this ceremony will be followed by a fireworks display at 8pm in Port Hercule.

Tomorrow (a public holiday in Monaco) the relics are taken to the cathedral for a special mass at 9.45am followed by a procession in the streets of Monaco-Ville on the Rock.

The saint's story is one that is repeated by other figures in this region (for example in Saint Tropez). Originally from Corsica, she was tortured to death by infidels in the 4th century and her corpse placed in a boat by her disciples in the hope that she would find a Christian burial in Africa. A massive storm blew up and from the mouth of the saint appeared a dove who guided the boat to Port Hercule, or to be more precise to the little valley of the Gaumates, where she was buried by the local Christian community.

Hundreds of sailors passed through Monaco to worship at her tomb and several miracles were said to have taken place. One day someone stole the relics but was chased and caught by local fishermen as he headed out to sea. The thief’s boat was then set on fire as a sacrifice. CL