Cathédrale Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde

Renaissance cathedral where Napoleon was baptised

Address Rue Forcioli Conti, Ajaccio

Ajaccio's cathedral, built in the late 16th century in an Italianate style, sits in the heart of the old town a short walk from the Maison Bonaparte. The interior is modest but dignified; the main draw is the historical connection. There is a painting by Delacroix — the Virgin of the Sacred Heart — on the side aisle, and the tomb of Napoleon's mother Letizia Ramolino is in the sacristy.

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Napoleon was baptised here on 21 July 1771, two years after his birth — a delay that was unremarkable by 18th-century standards. A copy of the baptismal register is displayed inside.

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