On Thursday morning in Monaco-Ville, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, in his capacity as High Patron, attended the opening session of the 13th Edition of the Rencontres Internationales Monaco et la Méditerranée at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco.

Organized by the Association Monégasque pour la Connaissance des Arts with the support of the Government of the Principality of Monaco, in partnership with the Institut Océanographique, Institut audiovisuel de Monaco, and the Monaco National Commission for UNESCO, the two-day symposium is held this year under the theme Ulysses Through the Ages.

The symposium brings together researchers, academics, writers, art historians, and artists to examine the reinterpretations of Ulysses across literature, the arts, history, cinema, and contemporary thought. The program offers a multidisciplinary examination of the figure of Ulysses as a symbol of wandering, intelligence, memory, and exile, and considers the continued relevance of this myth in light of contemporary cultural and human questions.

In his speech, the Sovereign Prince observed that the theme resonates with the history of the Palais Princier de Monaco. Recent restoration work in the Throne Room revealed a Renaissance cycle of frescoes depicting scenes from the Odyssey.

At the center of the ceiling is the Nekuia, the episode in which Ulysses descends to the underworld to consult the seer Tiresias. The composition is framed by zodiac signs, the labors of the months, and additional imagery illustrating episodes from the hero’s journey.

According to the Sovereign Prince, these discoveries provide new insight into the artistic history of the Palais and underscore the enduring presence of classical mythology within Monaco’s cultural heritage.

According to a statement from the Palais Princier de Monaco, the frescoes will be examined in greater detail during a forthcoming conference, Images d’une souveraineté de la Renaissance, to be held from March 19 to 21 at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco.