Bastille Day and Legion of Honour

• PM Modi attended National Day of France.
• France celebrates its national day on July 14^th, also known as Bastille Day which is popularly associated with storming of Bastille in 1789.
  • The Commander of the Bastille was killed and the prisoners were released by mob.
• It is also the anniversary of Fête de la Fédération, an event held in 1790 to celebrate the unity of French people.
• Bastille was a 14^th century fortress prison in Paris that was used to incarcerate prisoners on King orders without trial and publicly stating the causes.
• PM Modi was conferred upon with France’s highest honour, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.

ABOUT LEGION OF HONOUR

• The Legion of Honour is the highest French decoration, both civil and military.
• The Legion of Honour has five degrees of increasing distinction: three ranks — Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), and Commandeur (Commander) — and two titles — Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand-croix (Grand Cross).
• The Prime Minister has been honoured with the highest French honour, akin to the Bharat Ratna in India.
• The Order was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, and has been presented for more than the past two centuries on behalf of the French Head of State to its most deserving citizens in all fields of activity.
• Foreigners may be decorated with the Legion of Honour “if they have rendered services (e.g. cultural or economic) to France or supported causes defended by France, such as human rights, freedom of the press, or humanitarian action”.
• The motto of the Order is: Honneur et Patrie, which in French means ‘Honour and Fatherland’.