Saint Nicholas Cathedral

Saint Nicholas Cathedral is also known as Cathedrale de Monaco or by its third name the Cathedrale Notre-Dame-Immaculee. Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, as well as many members of the Grimaldi family, are buried in Monaco Cathedral. The cathedral was constructed over a period of several decades (1875-1903), and it was dedicated in 1911. It was constructed on the site of Monaco's first parish church, which was built in 1252. The cathedral is as spectacular on the inside as it is on the outside.

The cathedral is built with the same type of white stone from “La Turbie” (a region in France). This stone is notably used to build the oceanographic museum. It is the cathedral where royal marriages are held. Apart from the cathedral's magnificent architecture, the wooden retable (raised altarpiece) by Renaissance painter Louis Brea, painted in the early 16th century, is worth noting.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral has an organ with four keyboards which was installed in 1976. The cathedral choir Les PetitsChanteurs de Monaco (a choir made up entirely of young boys established in 1904 by Prince Albert I) sings mass every Sunday at 10 a.m. from September to June. It is a little church, unlike the European behemoths, with clean and basic decor and no showy decorations. It's ideal for a serene and silent prayer.