Monaco

POPULATION 31,987
ROMAN CATHOLIC 90 percent
OTHER 10 percent

Country Overview

INTRODUCTION

With an area of just 0.73 square miles, the Principality of Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world, after Vatican City. It is located on the Mediterranean coast 11 miles east of Nice, France, and is surrounded on three sides by France. The Grimaldi family, which has ruled almost continuously since 1297, made Roman Catholicism the official state religion in 1848, and in 1911 religious freedom to all residents was made part of the constitution.

Only 19 percent of the population are citizens of Monaco. The majority are French, and Monaco maintains extensive economic and other ties to France.

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

The constitution of Monaco provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right. In practice, however, there are some restrictions. No missionaries operate in Monaco, and proselytizing is discouraged, but religious organizations that are registered formally with the minister of state may recruit members. Organizations regarded as religious sects, however, are routinely denied registration. There are amicable relationships among the officially recognized religions in Monaco.

Major Religion

ROMAN CATHOLICISM

DATE OF ORIGIN 1061 c.e.
NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS 28,800

HISTORY

From 58 to 51 b.c.e the region came under the influence of the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar. There is evidence of religious life from 1061, when Monaco came under the Catholic diocese of Nice. During the Middle Ages the Genoese, Monaco's nearest large neighbor, considered Monaco to be a part of their domain and obtained formal ownership from the German emperor Henry VI in 1191. The Genoese then built a fortress in Monaco to protect their interests. In 1247 Pope Innocent IV granted permission to the Republic of Genoa to build a chapel in Monaco. The Parish of Monaco was founded in 1252–53 and called Saint Nicolas.

The Grimaldis were one of the aristocratic families of Genoa and were considered the defenders of the pope's authority. They were forced out of Genoa by supporters of the German emperor. On 8 January 1297 Francois Grimaldi disguised himself as a monk, and seeking shelter from the night with his band of men, he took control of the fortress. The Grimaldis have since ruled Monaco for more than 700 years (with a few hiatuses). Prince Honoré II, who ruled in the 1600s, was the first prior of the Brotherhood of the Black Penitents, and he founded the Misericorde Chapel (Chapel of Mercy). The diocese of Monaco was established in 1887.

While the minister of state must be a French citizen, the leader of the country is always a member of the Grimaldi family, which is devoutly Catholic.

EARLY AND MODERN LEADERS

The first bishop of Monaco was Monsignor Bonaventure Theuret (appointed 1887), who had previously been the apostolic administrator. Since 1981 there have been three archbishops: Charles-Amarin Brand (served 1981–84), Joseph-Marie Sardou (served 1985–2000), and Monsignor Bernard Barsi (appointed 2000).

MAJOR THEOLOGIANS AND AUTHORS

Monaco has not produced any notable Roman Catholic authors or theologians.

HOUSES OF WORSHIP AND HOLY PLACES

The Church of Saint Dévote, the patron saint of Monaco, is the most important to the Monegasques (the 19 percent of the population who are citizens of Monaco). The Misericorde Chapel is the home of the White and Black Penitents. The Monaco Cathedral, built in 1875 in the Romanesque-Byzantine style, sits on the site of the former Saint Nicolas Church. The bell from the old church, dating from the 1200s, hangs on the outside of the northwestern nave. The cathedral contains the tombs of the royalty of Monaco. The royal family worships in the seventeenth-century Palatine Chapel, located in the palace.

WHAT IS SACRED?

Anything to do with Saint Dévote is sacred. According to legend, in 304 c.e. the governor of Corsica, which was under Roman rule, tortured a young girl named Dévote. Christians put her in a small fishing boat and prayed that favorable winds would take her to safety. A storm came up, driving the boat to the shores of Monaco. As the boat landed, out of the mouth of Dévote came a dove. The inhabitants saw this as a miracle and erected a chapel in her honor.

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

In addition to traditional Catholic holidays, Monaco has a number of local celebrations. On 26 and 27 January Monaco celebrates its patron saint with the Feast of Saint Dévote. To commemorate the legend, on the evening of 26 January a fishing boat is set ablaze by the reigning prince, and on 27 January a Te Deum is sung in the cathedral, followed by a procession through the streets of the Old Town.

In June is the Fête Dieu, which has been celebrated since 1260. The Corpus Christi procession goes through the streets of the Old Town and culminates at the palace, where the archbishop of Monaco gives his blessing.

Also in June Monaco celebrates Saint John's Feast. A salute to the Holy Sacrament is sung in the presence of the sovereign family and Monegasque authorities, followed by the lighting of a huge bonfire in the Palace Square. The Palladienne folk group dresses in native costumes to sing and dance to traditional songs.

The prince's saint day celebration takes place on 19 November. It is the saint day of the historical Saint Rainier d'Arezzo and also the country's national holiday (Principality National Day). It is celebrated the night before with fireworks and on the day itself with Mass in the cathedral for the prince's invited guests.

MODE OF DRESS

Religion has little or no influence on everyday dress. Religious dress is casual, except for special holidays such as the prince's saint day celebration, when participants dress in their finest attire, with the women generally wearing hats and men in tuxedos, dark suits, or uniforms. This is an occasion when the Knights of Malta, distinguished ambassadors, consuls, and state officials wear their medal-laden uniforms.

DIETARY PRACTICES

At Christmas a sweet bread, pain de natale, is made and blessed by the church. Sometimes it is prepared in the shape of a cross, and sometimes it is also made with walnuts. At Easter Catholics bake an unleavened bread with an egg in the center, which may never be cut with a knife and which must be broken by the head of the household.

RITUALS

For the prince's saint day celebration, he chooses the music for the Mass. On 26 January every year, during the Feast of Saint Dévote, the prince sets a boat on fire.

RITES OF PASSAGE

Religious weddings in Monaco are not legally binding. Only those people holding a resident's card may marry legally in Monaco, and the marriage ceremony must take place at the mayor's office.

MEMBERSHIP

The catechism is an integral part of public school studies. The church also organizes activities, subsidized by the state, for young people in Monaco and in neighboring areas. These include leisure pursuits, cultural events, educational events, and moral guidance through the F.A.R. Association.

Since 1957 the Catholic Church has been involved in broadcasting The Church Today each Sunday on Radio Monte Carlo. Since 1958 the church has participated in presenting the UNDA (Association Catholique Internationale pour la Radio et la Télévision) Award at the International Television Festival of Monte Carlo. The criteria for the award are based on the human and cultural values of a film, not specifically on religion.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Roman Catholic Church in Monaco espouses the principles outlined by Rome concerning education, human rights, poverty, and reproduction. The church, through voluntary associations, helps the handicapped and those in distress.

SOCIAL ASPECTS

Marriage and family among Catholics in Monaco function as in the rest of Europe, especially France.

POLITICAL IMPACT

Virtually all Monegasques are Catholic, and only Monegasques can be elected to the national assembly. Other government posts are also filled by Monegasques or by French citizens who are Catholic and appointed by the prince.

CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

The church in Monaco follows the teaching of the church in general and is strongly opposed to contraception and abortion. Most people in Monaco, however, practice contraception in opposition to church teachings.

CULTURAL IMPACT

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Prince Honoré II ordered a Spanish-style walnut altar decorated with gold leaf for Saint Nicolas Church. The altar is now located in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the cathedral. The chapel also owns an important collection of religious art, such as painted-wood Madonnas, damask chasubles, and gilded wood reliquaries. In the cathedral there are several reredoses of Saint Nicolas and Saint Dévote by the Nice painter Louis Brea dating to the 1500s. There are also two sixteenth-century paintings and a procession canopy bearing the coat of arms of Antoine I.

Under Antoine I (reigned 1701–31) the first vocal group with children's voices in Monaco was started and sang the liturgies at the Palatine Chapel. The Choir of Monaco (including children) became famous for its revival of early sacred musical works. In 1973 Prince Rainier III created the boy's choir Les Petits Chanteurs of Monaco (The Little Singers of Monaco), a part of the Monaco Cathedral Choir (which supplanted the Choir of Monaco). Because they travel around the world giving concerts, the prince refers to them as "his little singing ambassadors."

Other Religions

Other places of worship in Monaco include an Anglican church, an Orthodox synagogue, and a nondenominational Protestant church. There are several hundred practicing Episcopalians and other Protestants who have services in English, and several hundred practicing Orthodox or Conservative Jews have services in French.

Siri Campbell

See Also Vol. 1: Christianity, Roman Catholicism

Bibliography

Decaux, Alain. Monaco and Its Princes: Seven Centuries of History. Translated by Sylvia Carter and Anne Brav. Paris: Perrin, 1997.

Le Diocèse de Monaco, ses origines historiques. Monaco: Imprimerie Testa, 1987.

Duursma, J.C. Fragmentation and the International Relations of Micro-States: Self-Determination and Statehood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Edwards, Anne. The Grimaldis of Monaco. New York: Morrow, 1992.

"Monaco et la legende ou passion de Sainte Dévote." In Contes, Legendes et Nouvelles d'Europe. Strasbourg, France: Council for Cultural Cooperation, Council of Europe, 1998.