One of the stalls in the cathedral of Saint Jean de Maurienne Cathedral is waiting to accommodate the current French President, already canon of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran!
A dog-headed creature, a frog and a monkey washing its clothes figure among the “grotesques” of the eighty one 15th century choir stalls. They form what is undoubtedly one of the most significant ensembles in Europe. Taken together, they form a kind of puzzle. Some of the marvellous carved characters more than likely represent the function occupied by their ecclesiastic occupants. This is why the “monkey” - the “boss” according to the medieval craftsmen's slang - appears on the bishop’s seat. Facing the monkey is a ram’s head, a symbol of male power, designating the Duke. This stall is now awaiting a new occupant, who is by right none other than Nicolas Sarkozy. The president of the French Republic inherited from King François I the privilege of taking a seat in the stalls of the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Cathedral, as an honorary canon. The canon is a religious dignitary who belongs to the bishop’s council. When Charles le Valois, father of King François I invaded Savoy in 1536, he demanded the granting of this privilege which, in accordance with the French constitution, nowadays devolves to the French president. In December 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy assumed another legacy of the past, passed on since Henri IV, by becoming an honorary canon of the basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. Then why not Saint-Jean de Maurienne? Mr. Sarkozy did make a brief visit to the Maurienne region during one of the Tour de France Alpine stages in July 2007. Apparently, neither one of his predecessors, François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, had wished to avail themselves of the honour. In fact, the last chief of state who was appointed canon in the Maurienne region went by the name of Philippe Pétain…
