The Saint-Louis des Invalides military cathedral welcomed on April 28, 2024 relatives and supporters of the Italian royal family, gathered today in memory of Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy. Princess Maria Pia and Princess Clotilde represented the royal family at this mass for the repose of the soul of the son of King Humbert II.
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Mass in memory of Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy at Les Invalides
On February 3, 2024, Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy, only son of King Humbert II and Queen Marie-José of Italy, left us at the age of 86. Since the death of his father in 1983, Prince Victor-Emmanuel headed the Italian royal family and represented the House of Savoy. This task now falls to his only son, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert, Prince of Venice, Duke of Savoy.
Read also: Italians and the royal family pay tribute to the remains of Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy at the royal palace of Venaria
The Savoy dynasty ruled, first over the county of Savoy from 1033, which was elevated to the rank of duchy in 1416. The dynasty obtained the principality of Piedmont in 1418, then the kingdom of Sicily in 1713, exchanged in 1720 against the Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1861, King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia became the first king of the now unified Kingdom of Italy.
This April 28, 2024, a mass in memory of Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy was celebrated at the Saint-Louis des Invalides cathedral, in Paris. The prince’s funeral took place at the “Duomo”, the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, on February 10, in the presence of representatives of many royal families. The prince was cremated in the following days, then he returned to the crypt of the Basilica of Superga in Turin, the necropolis of the Savoy family.
Read also: The funeral of Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy in the presence of royalty at Turin Cathedral
Princess Maria Pia and Princess Clotilde pay tribute to the late head of the royal family
The mass was presided over by Mgr Antoine de Romanet de Beaune, bishop of the French armies, at Les Invalides, a place founded by Louis XIV, ancestor of Prince Victor-Emmanuel, in 1670. The Hôtel royal des Invalides was a hospice for soldiers who found themselves destitute after completing their mission in the army, due to their age or infirmity.
In 1706, Louis XIV inaugurated the royal chapel, today called the Dôme church, in the heart of the Invalides complex. Les Invalides actually has two churches. The Saint-Louis church, now a cathedral, adjoins the Dome. The two churches are separated by a glass roof.
Read also: Visit to the Savoy crypt where Prince Victor-Emmanuel will rest, under the basilica of Superga
The royal family of Savoy was represented by Princess Maria Pia, 89, older sister of the deceased and first child of the last Italian sovereigns. Princess Clotilde, Princess of Venice, Duchess of Savoy, better known professionally as Clotilde Courau, attended this religious ceremony in memory of her father-in-law. The royal family was surrounded by their relatives and members of delegations from the dynastic orders of the Royal House of Savoy. As head of the family, the deceased was also the grand master of dynastic orders, notably the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the Order of Merit of Savoy.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
