The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate ( French: ''Cathédrale de Notre-Dame-Immaculée'';

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Cathedralis Templum de Nostra Domina Immaculata''), formerly called the ''Cathedral of Saint Nicholas'' (demolished in 1874),. Now the new "St. Nicholas Church" in Monaco is the parish church in Fontvielle or informally the Cathedral of Monaco (French: ''Cathédrale de Monaco''), is the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedral of the Archdiocese of Monaco in the

Monaco-Ville Monaco City ( ; ) is the southcentral ward in the Principality of Monaco. Located on a headland that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, it is nicknamed The Rock (; ). The name "Monaco City" is misleading: it is not itself a city, but a histor ...

ward of

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. The cathedral is dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

under the venerated title of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

History

It was built from 1875 to 1903 and was consecrated on 11 June 1911. It is located on the site of the first parish church in Monaco, which was constructed in 1252 and dedicated to its patron Saint Nicholas. Notable within the shrine are the

retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum, it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate struct ...

(circa 1500) to the right of the transept, the high altar, and the episcopal throne constructed in white

Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...

. The national shrine is where many of the Grimaldi family members are buried, including

Prince Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to Funeral of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 year ...

and his wife Grace, Princess of Monaco. Pontifical services take place on the major religious festivals, such as the Feast of Sainte Dévote (27 January) and the National Day of Monaco (19 November). On feast days and during religious music concerts, one can hear the four-manual organ, which was inaugurated in 1976. From September through June, singers of the Cathedral Choir School perform during

Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

every Sunday at 10:00 am. Services are also celebrated annually on 6 December for

Saint Nicholas Day Saint Nicholas Day, also called the "Feast of Saint Nicholas", observed on 6 December (or on its eve on 5 December) in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast d ...

, when primary school children gather for a remembrance of the life of Saint Nicholas.

Gallery

File:retablemonaco.jpg, ''Altarpiece of St Nicolas'' by Ludovico Brea, 1500 File:Interior of the Cathedral of Monaco.jpg, Interior of the cathedral

References

External links

* 1875 establishments in Monaco Monaco-Ville Cathedrals in Monaco Roman Catholic cathedrals in Europe Roman Catholic churches in Monaco Burial sites of European royal families Burials at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate {{Monaco-church-stub