Sainte Dévote

Saint Devota is the patron saint of the Principality and of the Princely Family. Her feast day is celebrated on 27 January. Devota was a young Christian girl, martyred in the reign of Diocletian in 304 AD, by the consul Barbarus, then governor of Corsica. Her body was placed on a boat which, guided by a dove and carried by the storm, eventually washed ashore on the beach of the Vallon des Gaumates, deep inside the port of Monaco. Her body was entombed in the small chapel that stood beside the water. It is said that the monks who lived nearby, not knowing the name of the young martyr, called her Dei Vota.
Legend has it that, owing to the numerous miracles attributed to the Saint, the precious relics were stolen by sailors who thought to escape by sea. But an unfavourable wind arose and prevented them from leaving port. Seeing this, the people of Monaco captured the thieves and recovered the relics. Since then, the Saint has been venerated in Monaco and her name is invoked in prayers asking for her protection or blessing.

The Musée du Vieux Monaco was officially opened on 18 November 1974 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. The museum is also the home of the National Committee of Monegasque Traditions, founded in 1924. The Committee’s role is to maintain civil and religious traditions, to preserve and promote the Monegasque language, to research and conserve works, documents and objects belonging to the country’s historic and cultural heritage, to preserve sites and monuments, and to observe the customary principles of mutual assistance, union, hospitality, and honour. In 1989, the artist Maulet produced the ceramic work Santa Devota, a reminder of the Monegasque people’s attachment to the Patron Saint of the Principality of Monaco.