A Royal Wedding in the Gesù Church in Rome
Royal weddings, recent chronicles prove, are always events that attract media attention, the last one was celebrated in England, in Windsor Castle. Our archive could hardly give an account of the more or less happy events of England’s Royal Family, yet we also boast the chronicle of a royal wedding.
The marriage of Beatrice of Bourbon, Infanta of Spain, and Don Alessandro Torlonia
Almost a year after the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry of England, we take this opportunity to recall a royal wedding that took place in the Church of the Gesù in Rome more than eighty years ago. The event is recorded in the diary of the Gesù community of that year and further references should be found in the sacristan’s register, which is not in our archive.
The archival documentation, albeit in a sober style, gives us a small chronicle of that event, which must surely have engaged the ceremonial leaders of the Gesù Church to no small degree.
14 January 1935 This morning in our Church at about 11.00 a.m. His Most Reverend Eminence Card. Pietro Segura blessed the marriage between Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of Bourbon Infante of Spain and His Excellency Don Alessandro Torlonia, Prince of Civitella Cesi of the Dukes of Poli.
The narration continues with a description of the guests and the celebration:
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Italy, the Father of the Bride Alfonso XIII and many other high Princes and other dignitaries and guests attended […] The Nuptial Mass was celebrated by the Chaplain of the House of Bourbon Spain after which Card. Segna made a speech to the bride and groom and the audience. Selected pieces of sacred music were performed during the service. Pupils from the Germanic College served at the altar.
Unfortunately, no photos of the event are preserved in our historical archive, but the description of the celebration is quite evocative and allows us to reconstruct many details; the photo shows the house diaries, from which it was possible to reconstruct the episode.
The event is also recorded in the Historia Domus of that year, which describes it as:
‘magna cum solemnitate et pompa nuptiae habitae sunt’.
Maria Macchi
