Sunday Church Feature
St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco

"Monaco... officially the Principality of Monaco is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe on the northern central coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its center is about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Italy. Its area is just under 2 km² with an estimated population of almost 33,000.



"Monaco is the name of the country and its capital (and only) city. It is famous as a tax haven, and wealthy foreigners make up the majority of the population, around 84%.[7] It is often referred to as the Las Vegas of Europe." Wikipedia. It is the second largest micro country, the largest being the Vatican. "Monaco is a constitutional monarchy and principality, with Prince Albert II as head of state. The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco since 1297, and the state's sovereignty was officially recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite being independent, Monaco's defence is the responsibility of France." Wikipedia


"Saint Nicholas Cathedral, known also as Monaco Cathedral (French: Cathédrale de Monaco), is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, where many of the Grimaldis were buried, including Grace Kelly (See photo below.) and more recently, Rainier III.

"The cathedral was consecrated in 1875, and is on the site of the first parish church in Monaco built in 1252 and dedicated to St. Nicholas. Of note are the retable (circa 1500) to the right of the transept, the Great Altar and the Episcopal throne in white Carrara marble." Wikipedia

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Cathedral,_Monaco

Photos: Taken in April 2010 in Monaco by SW.