Quai Lucciana is christened

Monaco's fixed jetty has waited nearly 7 years for its name.

The breakwater juts out just below the Auditorium Rainier III and is part of the Principality's port extension, planning for which started in the 1990s. Quai Lucciana was put in place in May 2002, followed a couple of months later by the semi-floating wharf opposite. But the impressive cruise ship dock received its name first, when it was christened Quai Rainier III [1] last year. Now it's the turn of the smaller breakwater.

The quayside's name refers to the small village of Lucciana in Corsica, where it's believed the patron saint of Monaco and Corsica was born in the late 3rd century. According to legend, Saint Devote was a Christian martyr whose dead body was placed in a boat bound for Africa. It was hoped she would receive a Christian burial there, but during the voyage, the boat was blown off course by a storm. Miraculously a dove flew out of the dead saint's mouth and guided the crew safely to Monaco. The little chapel of Saint Devote in the Condamine district was built near the spot where the boat landed.

The Principality celebrates Sainte Devote's feast day on 27 January, and yesterday another special event was added to the annual celebration with the christening of the new jetty.