In front of you is the marble portrait of Nice's best-loved heroine. The curious thing is that historians are not sure she ever existed.

1A very real siege

In 1543, France and the Ottoman Empire were allies against Charles V and the Duke of Savoy. That summer, the fleet of the corsair Barbarossa and the troops of Francis I laid siege to Nice. On 15 August they launched their assault on the walls. The town eventually surrendered, but the castle, high on the hill, held out.

2The washerwoman on the bastion

According to tradition, a washerwoman named Catherine Ségurane, Catarina Segurana in Nissart, was defending the Sincaire bastion. Armed with her laundry paddle, she is said to have knocked down a Janissary standard-bearer, seized his banner and hurled it back at the attackers. A 19th-century version added a far less dignified gesture: that she lifted her skirts and showed her backside to the enemy.

The chroniclers who lived through the siege, Jean Badat and Pierre Lambert, never mention her. Her defenders point to 17th-century texts.

Real or not, Catherine became the symbol of Nice's resistance. This relief was paid for by public subscription and unveiled on 25 November 1923, Saint Catherine's Day, on the spot where, according to tradition, her exploit took place. Every November she is honoured here.

3What to look for

  • The banner, which the heroine holds aloft at arm's length.
  • The Nissart inscription beneath the figure.
  • The street signs, in French and in Nissart, the language that gives her name on the relief.
Old engraving of Catherine Ségurane on the ramparts facing the attackers
Catherine Ségurane in a 19th-century engraving: the image handed down by tradition.

Documented

The Franco-Ottoman siege of Nice in 1543 is well documented; the relief was unveiled on 25 November 1923.

Oral tradition

Catherine Ségurane's existence and her exploit against the Janissaries do not appear in contemporary chronicles and are presented as tradition.

Sources and credits

French Wikipedia, «Catherine Ségurane» and «Siège de Nice (1543)»; Henri Sappia, studies on Catherine Ségurane in the journal Nice historique; Acadèmia Nissarda, Nice historique archives.

Photos:

  • Marble relief of Catherine Ségurane brandishing a banner, inscribed Catarina Segurana: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • Old engraving of Catherine Ségurane on the ramparts facing the attackers: Emmanuel Costa, Dominio público.

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