The photographs show an authentic medieval reliquary containing a skull that the Vatican has recognized as an authentic relic of Mary Magdalene since the Middle Ages challenges to the identification of the bones have popped up for centuries and modern scientific analyses have been inconclusive On June 20, 2024, a Reddit user posted a photograph of a skull inside a gold reliquary shaped like a woman's head The post identified the images as showing "Mary Magdalene's alleged skull displayed at the basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in Southern France." At the time of this writing the post had received around 1,400 upvotes made to the r/interestingasf**k subreddit on July 23 received around 71,000 upvotes and 2,900 comments The images shared in these social media posts are genuine photographs of a relic that was first identified as belonging to the biblical figure Mary Magdalene in 1279 when her skeleton was allegedly discovered in a marble tomb in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (often shortened to Saint-Maximin) a town near Aix-en-Provence in southern France Officially recognized by Pope Boniface VIII in 1295 the relic has been venerated at Saint-Maximin's Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine for centuries Despite the relics' long history of recognition by the Catholic Church doubts about the bones' identification have popped up since at least the 17th century and various modern attempts to study the bones scientifically have failed to result in any definitive proof that the skull and other bones on display at Saint-Maximin genuinely belonged to the historical Mary Magdalene we have given this claim a rating of "Unproven," meaning we were unable to arrive at a true or false determination based on the available evidence To verify that the photos authentically show the relic identified as Mary Magdalene's skull, we began by running a reverse image search on the photo from the r/Damnthatsinteresting post. Although we were unable to locate the image's original source, it has circulated online since at least 2013, when it appeared in a popular Tumblr post The question of whether the skull authentically belonged to the biblical figure known as Mary Magdalene is less straightforward As the religious scholar Philip Almond explains in his 2023 book "Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History," the skull was discovered in 1279 by a nephew of the French king Louis IX named Charles of Salerno who was motivated by a medieval French legend in which Mary Magdalene and other biblical figures fled the Holy Land after Jesus' death and settled in Provence Charles found an ancient tomb in Saint-Maximin containing a mostly-complete skeleton accompanied by a wooden tablet identifying the remains as those of Mary Magdalene One wrinkle in the story of the relic's discovery is the fact that by 1279 multiple churches and monasteries had already claimed to possess part or all of Mary Magdalene's body There also existed a strong textual tradition claiming Mary Magdalene was buried in Ephesus The Saint-Maximin claim ended up winning out and in the 1290s Pope Boniface VIII granted several bulls recognizing their Mary Magdalene relics as authentic and authorizing the construction of a basilica to hold them The Catholic Church has officially recognized the relics as genuine ever since Despite this official stamp of approval, a number of figures both in and outside the church have questioned the authenticity of the relics. In the 1600s, the historian Jean de Launoy was accused of heresy for writing a book questioning the identification of the Saint-Maximin Mary Magdalene and other saintly relics and the Parlement of Aix ordered that any bookstore found to be selling it would have to pay a fine to the Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Another notable critic was the 20th-century French bishop and historian Victor Saxer who argued against the credibility of the medieval legends about Mary Magdalene spending the end of her life in Provence "We are absolutely not sure that this is the true skull of Mary Magdalene." the photos shared on social media do show an authentic medieval reliquary containing a skull that the Vatican has recognized as an authentic relic of Mary Magdalene since the Middle Ages we have given this claim a rating of "Unproven." "Computer-Aided Facial Reconstruction of 'Mary-Magdalene' Relics Following Hair and Skull Analyses." Clinical Medicine Insights: Ear "Culture et patrimoine." Mairie de Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume https://st-maximin.fr/services-municipaux/culture-patrimoine/ "Explore BASILIQUE DE SAINT MAXIMIN LA SAINTE BAUME in 3D." Matterport https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=obpwNDddwX5 "Is This the Face of Mary Magdalene?" National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mary-magdalene-face-skull-france-video-spd "The Mitochondrial DNA Mitotype of Sainte Marie-Madeleine." International Journal of Sciences 5.12 (2016): 10-19 Sacred History: Uses of the Christian Past in the Renaissance World Caroline Wazer is a reporter based in Central New York This material may not be reproduced without permission Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Emile Soleil was at the summer home of his grandparents in the Alpine hamlet of Le Haut-Vernet when he vanished in July 2023 A massive search failed to find any sign of the boy the toddler's skull and teeth were discovered some 1.7 kilometres (one mile) from the village but the cause of death remains unexplained a Catholic funeral mass was held in the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine a UNESCO-listed medieval Gothic cathedral said to house relics of Mary Magdalene were in attendance with their two children A pallbearer was seen carrying a tiny white coffin containing Emile's remains into the basilica as his father looked on "We're all waiting for the investigation to be completed but today is the time to be with the parents," the rector of the basilica "I've been overwhelmed by this whole affair "I have blond-haired grandchildren like Emile Some of the guests left the church visibly moved "We hope that one day we'll know what has happened," said Maria Carneiro a 72-year-old native of Braga in northern Portugal said the ceremony was "very moving" and gave her "goose bumps." She said that she had "followed the whole affair" from Portugal "All the TV channels were talking about it," she added Emile was to be laid to rest in the town of La Bouilladisse where his parents live Two neighbours last saw the toddler walking alone on a street in Le Haut-Vernet 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) up in the Alps on July 8 Emile's mother and father were absent on the day of his disappearance Please log in here to leave a comment Le tableau de Marie-Madeleine peint par le grand maître Raphaël est exposé pendant un mois dans la sacristie de la basilique de la Sainte-Baume The church (despite its name) is a shrine dedicated to Mary Magdalene But where does this mysterious portrait come from Two French art lovers made the unexpected discovery of this chiaroscuro painting in a London art gallery They bought it for £30,000 (about $37,500) convinced that it was a replica of two other versions of this portrait of Mary Magdalene a team of experts on the subject concluded that it was not a copy "Cleaning has revealed the essential qualities of this painting, in particular the use of light, but also the finesse and delicacy of the drawing, characteristic of Raphael," restorer Nathalie Nolde told France 3 The model for Mary Magdalene's features was Chiara Fancelli, wife of Raphael's master Pierre Perugino, to whom she lent her face on numerous occasions for Madonnas. (Other experts contest the attribution.) knew the Sainte-Baume shrine only by reputation "They felt it made sense to display it here in this shrine dedicated to Mary Magdalene," Fr "I seized this opportunity to make our shrine better known It's a real privilege to have this painting here You'd think Mary Magdalene was alive on this canvas," enthuses the priest The parish organized itself as best it could to welcome this unprecedented guest Some 50 people quickly flocked to the basilica's sacristy to admire this rediscovered masterpiece "We don't yet have the necessary count to know the exact number of visitors, but they're numerous," points out Fr. Racine, who has mobilized 270 parishioners to ensure the security of the painting of Mary Magdalene. Three volunteers are on duty every day, two in the sacristy and one at the church entrance. Among them are associations of the lay faithful, such as the Catholic Templars of France Raphael's painting will be on display for a month before being returned to its owners art lovers and enthusiasts will have to pay a modest sum of three euros The funds raised will contribute to the restoration of the shrine which had been under construction for 10 years "The benefits of the exhibition may seem insignificant but oceans are made from drops of water," he says with a smile Construction of the Basilica of Saint-Maximin began in 1295, following the discovery of relics of St. Mary Magdalene, "Apostle of the Apostles," found under a church in the town Mary Magdalene left Judea (then under the yoke of Herod's persecution) for Provence She then withdrew to a grotto in the Sainte-Baume forest Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news Around 400 people on Saturday gathered at a famed cathedral in southeastern France to bid farewell to a two-and-a-half year-old boy whose unexplained disappearance in 2023 shocked the country a helicopter and drones failed to find any sign of the boy the toddler's skull and teeth were discovered some 1.7 km from the village but the cause of death remains unexplained Saturday's ceremony took place in the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine a medieval Gothic cathedral which houses relics of making it Christianity's third most important tomb A pall-bearer was seen carrying a tiny white coffin containing the toddler's remains into the basilica as his father looked on.The ceremony was closed to journalists and sometimes I babysit them," added the woman in her sixties SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you It was a royal wedding in the most romantic of settings with the fading sun of the last days of summer to light it Prince Felix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg married in the south of France in September 2013 in a golden ceremony The Grand Ducal Household announced that Prince Felix was engaged to his German girlfriend The statement read: “The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess have the very great joy of announcing the engagement of their son The couple had first met at the Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil and while their paths veered as they continued their education—with Felix attending military school and various other programs after he was forced to drop out due to health problems; and Claire attending the American University in Paris and the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome—they reunited and were spotted at several high profile events before their engagement was officially announced They attended the wedding of Felix’s brother Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume to Stéphanie de Lannoy in October 2012 together the future princess was presented to the public on 27 December 2012 The press were told at the time that their wedding might not take place in Luxembourg as the tradition was to celebrate in the bride’s hometown The only reason Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume’s wedding was in Luxembourg instead of Belgium was due to his position as heir to the throne Prince Felix and Princess Claire were married in Königstein im Taunus in a civil service presided over by the mayor of Königstein Princess Claire wore a white lace peplum dress designed by Jan Taminiau The church was decorated with platinum roses and white hydrangeas arranged by local florist Blumen Maiglöckchen the couple held their religious wedding ceremony at the Sainte Marie-Madeleine Basilica in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume The couple were married in the presence of their families and friends as well as members of the public who were allowed to enter and fill empty seats The couple were married by His Excellency Monsignor Jean-Claude Hollerich S.J. Her veil was ivory silk tulle and also featured plant motifs, stylised in the neo-baroque design, and was anchored by a diamond floral vine tiara gifted to the new princess by her mother-in-law, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. The diamond tiara featured floral and vine motifs that complemented Claire’s plant-motif wedding dress. The tiara was first owned by Grand Duchess Charlotte and worn by all four of her daughters on their wedding days. These daughters were Princess Elizabeth, Princess Marie Adelaide, Princess Marie Gabrielle and Princess Alix. The couple exchanged fair trade yellow gold wedding bands in order to observe ethical jewellery practices. After the ceremony, they held a reception at the Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume Convent. While the couple return to Luxembourg for official events like National Day, they reside in France at the Château Les Crostes, a Lademacher-owned castle and winery in Lorgues, France; and Frankfurt am Main, in Germany. Prince Felix and Princess Claire are parents to three children: Princess Amalia, born in 2014, Prince Liam, born in 2016, and Prince Baltashar who was born in January 2024. You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. Is on View in the South of France Since Yesterday Published: Apr 22, 2024written by Angela Davic Mary Magdalene portrait, controversially attributed to Raphael is on view in the South of France since yesterday About fifty enthusiastic spectators waited outside the basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume on Sunday A London auction house bought this 18-by-13 inch work last year from an anonymous French collector This collector spent $37,000 on the piece, allegedly created in Leonardo da Vinci’s studio at the time.  In September 2023, Annalisa Di Maria, a UNESCO expert in Renaissance art and Florentine Neoplatonism, controversially authenticated the work. She used ultraviolet analysis to identify the artist as the great Renaissance painter Raphael the year Raphael and the polymath Leonardo first met Di Maria mentioned that the repentances included in the piece contributed to its uniqueness The repentances are deliberate changes made when producing a piece of art would be left by artists to “distinguish them from copyists who lack such subtleties” In response to comments that the painting looks similar to Raphael‘s self-portraits “This resemblance attributes to what we refer to as the painter’s pictorial DNA The shared attributes between Mary Magdalene in this painting and Raphael’s self-portraits serve as a testament to the artist’s distinctive touch his ability to imbue his subjects with a profound sense of beauty and grace” some reviewers met the attribution with scepticism an Italian art historian and former undersecretary of culture He described the rediscovery as “a journalistic scoop since it is based on the knowledge of a few as it is a work in a private collection” The Italian art publication Finestre Sull’Arte called the picture a “replica” in a post from September 2023 Also, called out the experts who authenticated the painting as “unrelated to studies on Raphael and lacking scientific publications on the Renaissance master”. Given that Saint-Maximin-la-Saint-Baume church seems purportedly as the final resting place of Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene was the first to see him after his crucifixion and his resurrection According to 13th-century lore, Magdalene lived in a cave in the Saint-Baume mountains, just 12 miles from the basilica, after converting local people in Marseille to Christianity The painting required an admission fee of €3 ($3.20) for visitors on Sunday The money raised from those who view the painting will go towards restoring the 13th-century basilica Angela is a journalism student at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade and received a scholarship for continued education in Prague She completed her internship at the daily newspaper DANAS and worked as an executive editor at Talas Don’t Miss a Single Sparkling Moment! Sign up for The Court Jeweller Newsletter The Court Jeweller Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World 04.29.2023 by // Leave a Comment Later today, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg will marry Nicolas Bagory in a religious ceremony at the Saint Trophyme church in Bormes-les-Mimosas in the south of France. (The couple’s civil wedding took place in Luxembourg last weekend.) While we wait to see which family tiara Alexandra might wear with her wedding gown let’s look back at some of the gorgeous brides who have worn Luxembourgish tiaras on their wedding days The Nassau-Weilburg family has reigned in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg since 1890, though in the wake of World War I, the throne teetered a bit. Under pressure from the public, some of who had felt she was too pro-German during the war, the young Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde abdicated in favor of her younger sister In a matter of weeks in the autumn of 1919 the new Grand Duchess Charlotte survived a referendum and announced her engagement to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma Some Luxembourgers didn’t like that Felix had served with the Austrian army during the war, but when Charlotte confirmed that the relationship was a love match, they shrugged and moved on. The couple were wed in Luxembourg’s cathedral on November 6, 1919. Charlotte was decked out in family jewels, including the Empire Tiara and a second necklace worn as a corsage ornament (That tiara has a complicated colonial history as does the entire royal family of Belgium.) During the official wedding portraits, Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte changed into a second wedding gift, the Belgian Scroll Tiara Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix had four daughters—Elisabeth, Marie-Adélaïde, Marie-Gabrielle, and Alix—all of whom wore the Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara as their bridal diadem You can see Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg wearing the classic diamond tiara above for her wedding to Count Karl Josef Henckel von Donnersmarck in Luxembourg on April 10 The next generation of the royal family embraced an heirloom wedding tiara. Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte’s two daughters, Princess Marie-Astrid and Princess Margaretha, both wore their mother’s bridal diadem, the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara So did Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista for her wedding to Hereditary Grand Duke Henri in Luxembourg on Valentine’s Day in 1981 Several of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte’s granddaughters (and granddaughters-in-law) have also worn Luxembourgish tiaras for their weddings. On December 6, 2008, Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria (daughter of Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg and Archduke Carl Christian of Austria) wore the Nassau Floral Tiara for her wedding to Count Rodolphe of Limburg-Stirum in Belgium When Adélaïde Drapé-Frisch married Archduke Christoph of Austria (another son of Princess Marie-Astrid and Archduke Carl Christian) in France on December 29, 2012, she followed in her sister-in-law’s footsteps and wore the Nassau Floral Tiara On September 21, 2013, Claire Lademacher wore the Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara for her wedding to Prince Felix of Luxembourg in France “Something blue” for Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau (daughter of Prince Jean of Luxembourg and Hélène Vestur) was the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara for her religious wedding to Antonius Willms in Spain on September 2 Archduchess Gabriella of Austria (youngest child of Princess Marie-Astrid and Archduke Carl Christian) also wore the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara for her wedding to Prince Henri of Bourbon-Parma on September 12 they are second cousins: both are great-grandchildren of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix Henri’s grandmother was Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Luxembourg.) It’s last-chance guess time: will we see Alexandra wearing a tiara today? And if so, which one? I’ll be covering the jewels from the wedding with an article published here on the website later today Categories // luxembourg Enter your name and email address below to subscribe to our weekly newsletter Sign up for my new subscriber-supported community, Hidden Gems, delivered directly to you each Saturday! Copyright © 2025 THE COURT JEWELLER LLC The joint effort of an artist and a scientist have yielded images of a face that might have belonged to Mary Magdalene The 3D facial reconstruction was performed on a skull that many believe is the true skull of the early saint housed in the Basilica of Mary Magdalene in Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume The resting place of the relics is tied to one of the traditional tales of what happened to Mary Magdalene after Jesus' Resurrection she traveled to the south of France by boat to preach the Gospel of Jesus sustained only by Holy Communion brought to her by angels Later pilgrims built a church over her resting place a biological anthropologist from the University of Versailles were able to create a digital model of the skull based on 500 photos of the relic They said the skull was in such good condition that they had no trouble determining the position of the nose Sarah Gibbens from National Geographic reports that from their examination they found that the skull belonged to a woman around the age of 50 They were able to fill in the facial features based on these indicators as well as the natural contours of the skull The color of her hair was based hair strands that still remain with the relic and the skin color was chosen from a list of tones most common to the Mediterranean region were left up to Charlier and Froesch's discretion To those who believe that the skull is genuine the image produced by the two researchers offers valuable insight into the biblical narratives Charlier notes that the skull may not be the Magdalene's “We are absolutely not sure that this is the true skull of Mary Magdalene,” Charlier said “But it was very important to get it out of anonymity.” The history of the remains housed in the Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume Basilica can be traced back to the 13th century when rumors of the relic's authenticity were in circulation it should be noted that there are at least five other sets of remains that are purported to belong to Mary Magdalene Charlier expressed a desire to work with the skull outside of its reliquary so that he might carbon date the remains and run a DNA analysis on them; however such testing involves the removal of pieces of the relic and has historically been opposed by the Catholic Church Regardless of whether the Church decides to allow them greater access to the skull the pair has stated that they would like to continue their reconstructive work on the rest of the remains in order to give a full-body representation of what Mary Magdalene may have looked like Rizal formally announced today that it received the title of “affiliate church” of the Minor Basilica and Parish of St Mary Magdalene in the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Ste-Baume a commune in the southeastern French department of Var in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region It is the first church in the Philippines to receive such recognition from the French basilica said during a 6pm Mass that the “Declaration of Support and Recognition as an Affiliate Church” was signed between him and Basilica Rector Père Florian Racine last July 22 “We are glad to receive this gracious blessing as the shrine of Pililla strives to promote the devotion to St Mary Magdalene not only in the Diocese of Antipolo but also in different places in the Philippines,” Meneses said Part of the document signed between the two Rectors reads that “through this (agreement) these two places of pilgrimage hold a spiritual connection through our united effort to continue to promote the Apostle to the Apostles” The minor basilica in France was built in Saint-Maximin-la-Ste-Baume town in the 13th century and was first entrusted to the Dominicans as St Mary Magdalene is the patroness of the order It is considered a primary shrine of the patroness visited by pilgrims throughout the world This shrine currently keeps the believed remains of the saint which is brought to procession in the town during her feast day on July 22 The church is currently under the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon Rizal was founded by the Franciscans in 1583 and is one of the most visited heritage churches in the province It was declared as a shrine by the Diocese of Antipolo in 2018 and will celebrate its 440th anniversary as a parish and fifth anniversary as a shrine in 2023 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page To watch the video with English subtitles, please click CC The basilica where Luxembourg's Prince Félix and Claire Lademacher will tie the knot this Saturday is not just any old church. The Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume near Marseille is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and allegedly holds relics from this reilgious figure from Christianity. According to the Bible, Mary Magdalene travelled with Jesus as one of his followers and she played a prominent role during Jesus' last days. French legend says that after Jesus' resurrection she travelled to the coast of Provence in France by boat, to spread the word. It is then said she lived for 30 years in a cave in La-Sainte-Baume where she prayed for Jesus until the day she met Saint Maximin, who led her to his church on July 22, around the year 72 AD. After receiving holy communion, Mary is said to have died at the altar. Tradition suggests that she was buried in a nearby tomb until 710 AD when monks from the St Maximin monastery fled invading Saracens. They reportedly moved Mary Magdalene's remains into a more discrete tomb to avoid their desecration and then buried the chapel with earth. The tomb remained lost for hundreds of years until it was unearthed by Prince Charles II of Salerno in 1279. It is claimed that the saint's body was complete except for a bone of the jaw which was missing. Mary Magdalene's cave is now a large chapel where a mass is given daily and it has a reliquary containing part of her tibia bone. The Basilique Saint-Maximin, meanwhile, contains the tomb and the saint's remains and today is one of the most important places for pilgrimage in Europe. To go on a virtual tour of the basilica, click here. PoliticsLuxembourg lawmakers divided over Israel-EU relationsAttempt to find unified position on extension of EU-Israel trade agreement failed during divisive committee meeting World of workJob market last year grew at slowest pace since financial crisisLuxembourg created fewer new jobs in 2024 than any year since the 2008-9 banking crisis Public administrationGovernment to create administration overseeing housing aidNew office aims to improve access to housing support and reduce delays AustraliaAustralians mark election day with 'democracy sausages' and in 'budgy smugglers'Australians fired up barbecues and wore tight-fit swim trunks called "budgy smugglers" to voting centers as they welcomed election day on Saturday (3 May) with some unique and quirky traditions. GrantsEU to propose €500m package to attract researchersPlan to double grant amount by 2025 and continue support in 2026 and 2027 Costs of six million eurosPremiumBus drivers unable to drive cost Luxembourg firm €6m annually Some given odd jobs or are idle, but could soon be employed by municipal councils World of workSpain to move ahead with plan to cut work week to 37.5 hoursThe bill is set to face a lengthy approval process in Parliament, where it’s uncertain to have enough backing from lawmakers Innovation and educationLuxembourg opens drone school to boost safetyEducation ministry has launched a civilian drone school, where pilots can hone their skills and share ideas Advertiser contentTreat yourself to a stress-free holidayDreaming of a worry-free trip What if the secret to a smooth getaway was simply good preparation and the right protection Advertiser contentReal estate: Why should you take advantage of the start of 2025 to begin your real estate project?The main things we remember about the housing sector over the past 12 months are the rise in interest rates and the fall in property prices Advertiser contentProperty: I've decided to invest!The various forms of government support for investment Advertiser contentThe Luxembourg Times BusinessRun is happening again on 18th September!On Thursday 18th September with the starting gun of the 11th Luxembourg Times BusinessRun fired at the Coque at 7 pm Share this with instagramShare this with facebookShare this with linkedinSections Prince Félix is the second child of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and was born 3rd June 1984 in Luxembourg He is currently third in the line of succession he boarded at a school in Switzerland before enrolling at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst The Prince then attended schools in England and Belgium in addition to gaining work experience in several companies Félix then joined the marketing and public relations department of a Swiss company specialising in sports events – as we will see Prince Félix is a keen sportsman Prince Félix has an interest in bioethics and in 2009 completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Bioethics studying in Rome the Prince has also shone at languages; in addition to Luxembourgish He has also studied Spanish – the mother tongue of his Cuban-born mother Following the announcement of an engagement in December 2012 Prince Félix married the German-born Claire Lademacher The civil wedding took place on 17 September 2013 in Königstein im Taunus followed by a religious ceremony on 21 September in the Basilica of Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume the couple have been living in the south of France looking after one of the Lademacher family vineyards The couple have been keen to join the French viniculture world Prince Félix has been chair of the Lorgues Terre de Vins Association a group of winegrowers of Lorgues promoting their municipality as a region of interest in the Provence The couple have two children; Princess Amalia was born just after her father’s birthday on 15th June 2014 in Luxembourg and then later christened at the Chapelle Saint-Ferréol in Lorgues Prince Félix has always been a keen adventurer and sportsman; he regularly plays tennis golf and basketball where he has been Honourary President of the Luxembourg Basketball Federation for over ten years he also enjoys winter sports including acrobatic skiing He also plays polo and enjoys kitesurfing and water-skiing; he is also Honourary President of the parachute arm of the Luxembourg Aeronautical Federation – quite an act for young Prince Liam to follow For English subtitles in the video, click on " CC " (ADW) In front of a fairy-tale backdrop, Prince Félix and Claire Lademacher appeared on the steps of the basilica in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, south France on Saturday have just married inside. Claire had chosen a stunning lace-trimmed dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab for the most beautiful day of her life – just as Princess Stephanie did at her wedding with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in October last year. "Un bisou, un bisou", (a kiss, a kiss) demanded the many onlookers chanting in unison, eager to meet and greet the newlyweds. It didn't take long before their demands we granted. First to enter the basilica was Luxembourg’s Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, followed at about 11:15am by Laurent Mosar, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sybilla, Prince Jean and Countess Diane de Nassau, Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein with Prince Nicolas, Archduke Christian and Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria. Ten minutes later, the Grand Ducal couple and the hereditary Grand Ducal couple entered. At 11am Claire Lademacher stepped our of a 2006 Rolls Royce Phantom and joined her father, Harmut Lademacher. Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich celebrated the union in the presence of 370 guests - members of the grand ducal family, the Lademacher family and friends. In a mixture of French and German the final words went as follows: Félix: "Claire, willst du meine Ehefrau werden?" Claire: "Oui, je le veux. Et toi, Félix, veux tu être mon époux?" Claire: "Félix, je te reçois comme époux et je me donne à toi." Félix: "Claire, ich nehme Dich als meine Ehefrau und ich schenke mich Dir!" Prince Felix and Claire then walked to the reception held at "Royal Convent" nearby, and mingling with the crowd as they made their way. The eagerly-awaited nuptial celebrations begin on September 17 with the couple's civil wedding, according to the official programme released this week. The pair will be married at Villa Rothschild Kempinsky, in Königstein im Taunus, at 12.30pm by local mayor Leonhard Helm. Press will be present for the ceremony but there will be no live screening or public viewing. The main guests present will be members of the Grand-Ducal family and the Lademachers. Four days later, the confetti will be out again, this time for a religious service at the Basilique Sainte Marie-Madeleine at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in France at 11am on September 21. The two families will be joined by representatives of non-reigning monarchies and national authorities among other guests. Again there will be no live screening or public viewing of the ceremony. The service will be followed by a private reception at 1pm involving all of the wedding guests. Wort.lu will be covering both services so check the website for regular updates, videos and pictures. ©2025 Mediahuis Group. All rights reserved A statue of Mary Magdalene housed in the chapel of Saint Pilon in the Var, in southeast France, has been destroyed by vandals apparently unhappy with her lack of clothing. The perpetrators left a note at the scene saying they “did not accept that a great saint like Mary Magdalene [should] be represented in such a way”. The sculpture, by an unknown artist, depicts a naked Mary Magdalene being carried by two angels, although long hair covers most of her body. The plaster statue was installed five years ago when the chapel was restored, but it was soon due to be replaced by a permanent marble version. The vandalised sculpture of a naked Mary Magdalene being carried by two angels © Les Saints de Provence/Facebook Speaking to the news outlet France Bleu, Patrick-Marie Bozo, a Dominican brother in the Saint-Baume community, says the vandals “broke the statue into several pieces, put it aside and left a note. I can’t remember which word they used—it was indecent or offensive.” He adds: “I find the gesture extremely violent. They may not approve of the way she’s been portrayed, I hear that, but we cannot accept such actions.” Renaud Muselier, the president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional council, describes the “act of degradation” as “unacceptable [and] its motivations unworthy!”. He adds: “Nothing—absolutely nothing—justifies entering a chapel to smash a statue.” An investigation has now been launched after a complaint was filed by Suzanne Arnaud, the mayor of Riboux, a town located a few kilometres south of Saint Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume where Mary Magdalene’s tomb is said to be housed. seven years after French culture ministry halted reckless cleaning of two panels news13 January 2016Suspected arson at Fontainebleau churchHistoric furnishings damaged and around a dozen objects missing or destroyed