Nelson & His World

I had never heard of either of these 2 commemorative days before.

It seems that the date of Nelson's death is commemorated every year at Les Invalides. The following information comes from, the "Answers" website.

Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena in the southern Atlantic with a small group of followers. He died there on May 5, 1821. In 1840 his remains were taken from St. Helena back to Paris, where a magnificent funeral was held. He was finally entombed under the gold-plated dome of the Church of Saint-Louis, one of the buildings in the compound of the Hôtel des Invalides, where his descendants and admirers still congregate on May 5 each year to attend a commemorative mass.

But even more interesting is St Napoleon's Day!

I found the report below in a 1930's newspaper. Is it still an official Saint's Day in the Catholic Church?

Any comments or additional information would be much appreciated.



MB

August 15th is also the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin - a very big day in the Catholic calendar, so Napoleon had a very distinguished birthday/feast day. (I know this, not because I am religious, but I was once in Caen on 15th of August and nearly starved to death as every shop, hostelry, cafe and restaurant was closed to mark the event - except one that we finally found about 9 pm and fell on the food (roast duck, I recall) like ravening wolves.)

Wssn't Napoleon's relationship with the Pope rather turbulent? Wasn't he excommunicated as some point?

Well the feast day still exists - but under the Saint's original name.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/aug.php

I imagine it's a good while since it was associated with Napoleon Bonaparte.

Unless anyone knows different!

MB