Presented as a woman of the people, a laundress by trade, Catherine Ségurane is said to have, during the siege of Nice in 1543, knocked out a Turkish ensign with a blow from her paddle, thereby seizing the enemy’s flag.
This act of bravery supposedly destabilized the adversary and allowed the repulsion of the assault by the French and the Turks, who were allied against the House of Savoy.
Described as ugly and nicknamed the “Dona maufacha,” Catherine Ségurane symbolizes, in the collective imagination, the resistance and mobilization of an entire people, particularly that of women.
This character, among the most famous in Nice, only appeared at the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to historian Honoré Pastorelli, who was the first to mention our heroine, fifty years after the events in which she supposedly participated.
Real or not, she remains present in the memory of the people of Nice, who pay her fervent tribute every year.
It was in 1923 that the Committee of Niçoises Traditions placed a stele in her glory near the presumed site of her exploits (Sincaire Street).
This year, the tradition continued with a gathering held on Saturday evening for the fourteenth time at Garibaldi Square.
Initiated by the Independent Committee (formerly the Identitarians) under the banners “-1543-” and “-Nice Standing-“, a little less than two hundred people gathered.
Its president, Grégoire de Linares, spoke of “Nice the Beautiful and Nice the Rebellious,” linking today’s Niçois to the “clan of the unsubdued.”
Grégoire de Linares, following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor, delivered a highly patriotic message: “Here we do not bend the knee, we do not submit! Here, this is our home!”
So, are there new invaders at the gates?
A wreath-laying under the plaque dedicated to the heroine in front of the Saint Augustine church concluded the ceremony.
