As every year since 1854, Nice, with the participation of the Malonat association, celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Malonat on Saturday and Sunday.
The origin of this religious tradition dates back to the Sardinian era when cholera appeared in Nice in July 1854. Faced with the scale of the scourge, the inhabitants of the Malonat district placed themselves under the protection of the Virgin Mary, through official thanksgiving prayers, on August 2, 1854.
A public subscription was organized by the women of the district, known since then as “Prioulessa” (the Prioresses), to fund the construction of an oratory in thanks for the end of the epidemic, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Help, also known as Our Lady of Malonat. The first celebration of Our Lady of Malonat took place on August 2, 1854, and the oratory itself was inaugurated on September 8, 1854. Since then, a votive festival is organized in the district every year.
