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Savoy, felt he had come out of the deal badly.
‘L’esprit de Genève’
and its international vocation:
where and how you can experience
the truly unforgettable
By Evelina Rioukhina
Today, “l’espit de Genève” (the Spirit of Geneva) is
understood as a set of values of humanism, social
justice and independence expressed by various While historians may debate the precise timing,
historical figures, authors and international
organizations linked in Geneva, and recognises spirit of Geneva, at least since its victory in the
the international vocation of Geneva and the
birthplace of multilateralism. But where the term
“l’esprit de Genève” come from? In 1929, Robert Of course, all of you from Geneva International,
de Traz published the essay “L’esprit de Genève”,
which traced the origins of this tradition through
the life and work of three major historical figures:
Jean Calvin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Henri
Dunant, whose legacy helped to make Geneva a historical costumes. But do you know the real
symbol of dialogue, peace and democracy. story?
But where can we trace the origins of this
unique sentiment, ‘l’esprit de Genève’? Was it
the Escalade that instilled the feelings of liberty,
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protection and refuge that would centuries later
make Geneva the birthplace of multilateralism?
it is important to understand the soul and
Escalade (or perhaps even earlier).
who live and work here, in Geneva, took part,
at least once, at the Escalade celebration. You
smashed the marmite, watched the historic
procession and saw many persons dressed in
After the Treaty of Lyon (1601), between France
and Savoy brought an end to the Franco- procession of the proclamation of victory over
Savoyard war, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of
He sought to take revenge by seizing Geneva,
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making it the capital of his states north of thee
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secret to avoid provoking Henry IV of France
and the Protestant cantons.
On the darkest night of the year, from the 11
th
to 12 (21 to 22 Gregorian calendar) of
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December 1602, Savoyard troops led by Charles
de Simiane, lord of Albigny, attempted a surprise
invasion of Geneva. Over 2,000 troops under the
command of Francois de Brunaulieu marched
along the river Arve and assembled at Plainpalais,
just outside the walls of Geneva. At around 2am
this elite group was ordered to scale the walls of
the city using ladders (in French “escalader”), to
open the city gate and let the other troops in. The
advance guard, two or three hundred strong, had
already scaled the wall of La Corraterie when the
alarm was raised, the church bells were rung,
and the Genevese were alerted.
The citizens of Geneva defeated the invaders Cathedral Saint-Pierre. The procession stops
by preventing them from scaling the wall using
cannon fire. Fighting broke out in the streets
against those who had managed to climb over. at significant locations along the way and the
herald, a horseman dressed in the colours of
The night guard, Isaac Mercier, cut the portcullis
Geneva, delivers the Proclamation Speech - a
rope, foiling the plan to open the main city gate solemn address designed to remind everyone of
and let in the majority of the attackers. The
story of the Escalade. The procession ends in the
citizens fought alongside the town militia and Court in front of the Cathedral, culminating with
repelled the Savoyard invasion, forcing them
to retreat. This marked the failure of this coup the Proclamation speech and lighting the Fire of
Joy in Court’s centre. Then, the Historic Choir
and cost the lives of around one hundred people, of Escalade 1602, together with the procession
eighteen of whom were Genevans. Sixteen of
these died during the battle itself, two later from participants, sing Psalm 124. After that, along
wounds. with thousands of spectators, young and old, the
whole city sings the hymn of Geneva.
The failure of the Escalade was widely publicised.
The people of Geneva and their Reformed friends Another emblem of the Escalade is, of course,
felt they had seen the hand of Providence. The the marmite – commemorated in honour of the
event, some of whose trophies are preserved in Mère Royame (real name Catherine Cheynel),
Geneva’s Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, is rightly who was cooking stew for her children that night,
famous and celebrated in Geneva with religious and who, when she heard the attackers climbing,
and civil ceremonies. “Cé qu’é laino”, the Escalade instead of hiding, grabbed the soup pot and threw
victory song, was composed shortly afterwards. it down on the climbers, badly burning them. The
Today it is the hymn of Geneva, which since racket caused by this attack alerted the guards,
the 3 of March 2024 has been inscribed in the who could then fight off the invaders. Catherine
rd
Constitution of the Canton. Cheynel was seen as a hero, and nowadays her
sculpture decorates the entrance of La Corraterie
The Escalade celebrations culminate in a historic 7. The other famous personage of this night is
Dame Paiget, who threw the key from her window
the invaders, going through the city to the to the Genevan defenders so that they could pass
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