Prince Albert II of Monaco travelled to France last week to officially reopen a museum showcasing the history of Ferrette – a small village in the Alsace region.
Ferrette has historic ties with the Principality of Monaco. Since 1777, the Sovereign Prince has also held the title of Count of Ferrette after Prince Honoré IV of Monaco married Louise d’Aumont, the niece of the Count of Ferrette, Mazarin.
His Serene Highness visited the village to officially reopen the Re-Naissance Museum, which had been closed since 1963.
The museum is housed in a 16th-century building, which needed extensive renovation; the Trésors de Ferrette Foundation was created to help raise the €500,000 necessary for the project.
During the inauguration, the President of the Foundation, Jean-Jacques Kielwasser, thanked the Principality of Monaco’s generous donation to the cause, and it is believed that the Prince contributed personally to the fundraising campaign as well.
The newly-refurbished museum will host both permanent and temporary exhibitions about the village of Ferrette’s history and heritage.
Prince Albert then made the short journey to the village of Sundagu where he visited the Church of Saint Jacques, which houses the Grimaldi family’s necropolis. The Church was built in 1145 by Frédéric I, Count of Ferrette.
It is not uncommon for the Sovereign Prince of Monaco to travel to territories and places that have a symbolic significance in the Princely Family’s history; those places are mostly located in France, a country with which the Principality still maintains a privileged relationship, and Italy, where the Grimaldi family originated from.
Prince Albert of Monaco is undoubtedly awaiting with eagerness the return of his wife, Princess Charlene, from South Africa, where she has been since May, unable to fly home because of severe complications from an ear, nose and throat infection.
