As part of the commemoration of the death of Napoleon I in 1821, the French Domains on St Helena are organising several ceremonies at the site of the Emperor’s first burial.

Updated on 5 May 2020

For further information, please visit the French Domains on St Helena website.

 

Commemorations broadcast liveWednesday 5 May 2021 > Bicentenary ceremonies commemorating the death of Napoleon I > programme (pdf Fr/En)
Thursday 6 May 2021 > Latin Catholic Mass at Longwood (Order of service (pdf Fr/En)
Sunday 9 May 2021 > Ceremony at the Tomb > programme (pdf Fr/En)

A detailed programme is available on the website of the “Saint Helena Napoleonic Heritage” where you can also find a link to the live broadcast on 5, 6, and 9 May 2021.

► FOLLOW THE CEREMONIES LIVE

 

► The events on 5, 6 and 9 May 2021 will also be broadcast live on the Domain’s YouTube Channel and on a special website.

Programme: (Times are given in GMT i.e. 1 hour behind London and 4 hours ahead of New York)

– 5 May 2021:
From 8am-4pm GMT, Laying of the personalised wreaths on the tomb
From 5pm GMT: Longwood House Gardens. Funeral march at 5.30pm, followed by readings of the writings of Generals Bertrand and Montholon
At 5.49pm GMT, the moment of Napoleon’s death 200 years ago, there will be a minute’s silence followed by the Last Post.
The day will end with a vigil in the gardens of Longwood House.

– 6 May 2021 from 9am GMT: Commemorative mass at Longwood House, recalling Napleon’s lying-in-state 200 years ago in the makeshift Chapel of Rest at Longwood.

– 9 May 2021 from 3pm GMT: Ceremony at the Tomb at the moment Napoleon’s body was buried 200 years ago, with music and readings.

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Laying a funeral bouquet from a distance
Saint Helena Napoleonic Heritage (a non-profit association under Helenian law, whose aim is to preserve the memory of the Emperor on St Helena) is offering an online service to all those who would like to be part of the bicentenary commemorations of Napoleon’s death on the island: have a personalised mini-wreath of “everlasting flowers” placed on the Emperor’s tomb on 5 May 2021. Access to St Helena being more than likely impossible during 2021 due to covid restrictions, this opportunity is a small comfort for all those who would have liked  to attend the bicentary commemorations there this year.

The flowers (known in French as “immortelles”) will be collected on the island, evoking the gift sent to Napoleon by Lady Moira in 1817 for his garden at Longwood…. Each wreath will be labelled with the name, surname and country of its sponsor. A photo will be sent to the donor after the order has been placed.

GENERAL Information

List of partners of “2021 Année Napoléon”.

Calendar of Events.

Follow the special Instagram account for “2021 Année Napoléon” events.

Follow the Fondation Napoléon’s Facebook page in English.

Follow the Fondation Napoléon on Twitter.

Consult the page of the partner publishers and their published or republished works
on the occasion of the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death.

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PrEsentation OF THE FRENCH DOMAINS ON ST HELENA

The Napoleonic domains on the island of St Helena have belonged to France since 1857, and they have been run and managed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign affairs since 1858. The French domains on the island are: Longwood House (Napoleon’s residence from December 1815 to May 1821); the Valley of the Tomb (where Napoleon’s body was buried from 1821 to 1840); and the Briars Pavilion (Napoleon’s first residence of the island from October to December 1815).

Read here about “Operation St Helena“, a project to restore Longwood House, from 2010 to 2014 by the French Domains on St Helena, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Fondation Napoléon.