On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII affirmed the belief in the Assumption of the Virgin Mary: “We proclaim, declare, and define as a divinely revealed dogma that the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever virgin, after completing the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
Thus, the feast of the Assumption, celebrated on August 15, is today one of the most well-known votive festivals.
In Nice and the County, as in Provence, devotion to the Virgin Mary is widespread. Similarly, it was Marian blue that the House of Savoy chose to include in its dynastic colors.
This veneration of the Virgin and the popular devotion is also expressed through the number of churches and chapels placed under her protection: the Church of the Port (Madonna of the Immaculate Conception), the Vลu Church (Madonna of Graces), the Church of Cimiez (Madonna of the Annunciation), the Chapel of the Black Penitents (Madonna of Mercy), the Chapel of Our Lady of Bon Voyage.
Finally, the fervor of the people of Nice towards Mary is also manifested in the form of pilgrimages around the sanctuaries of Our Lady of Laghet, Our Lady of Utelle, or Our Lady of Fenestres.
The festivities will begin at 5:30 PM with the celebration of Mass in the Church of the Port, followed by a Procession.
Afterwards, the officials and clergy will board decorated pointu boats in the Admirals’ basin to throw wreaths of flowers into the waters of the port as a votive sign.
