Slovenian trails.

In 1811, Franciscan monks took over the abandoned monastery complex of Kostanjevica, situated on the hills near Görz, now known as Nova Gorica. Originally founded by the Carmelites, the monastery had been closed about thirty years earlier during the so-called “Klostersturm”—a wave of reforms under Emperor Joseph II of the Habsburg Empire. During this period, hundreds of monasteries were dissolved. Praying alone was not enough; only those that served a social purpose, such as schools, hospitals, or shelters for the poor, were allowed to remain. The rest were deemed ‘useless’ and shut down.

The Franciscans undertook the restoration of the church, which locals still affectionately call “Kapela,” reviving both the building and its surroundings to their former splendor. In addition, they transferred the renowned ancient library from Sveta Gora, a collection containing thousands of invaluable books. Today, this library is known as the Škrabč Library and is recognized as a monument of national importance. Among its treasures are handwritten manuscripts dating back to the 15th century, making it a unique repository of cultural and historical heritage for the region.

A royal “fan”.

A few years later, close to Kostanjevica, the exiled French king Charles X found himself in a desperate struggle for life. Stricken by cholera in Prague—a cruel twist of fate, as he had fled the city just seventeen days earlier to escape the very epidemic that now claimed him—Charles was left with little hope. From his deathbed in the stately Palazzo Coronini, he gazed longingly toward the illuminated abbey of Kostanjevica, perched 143 meters higher, its silhouette a distant symbol of solace and sanctuary. In those final moments, far from the land he once ruled and the people who had turned against him, Charles made a heartfelt request: to be buried at Kostanjevica, away from the turmoil and heartbreak of his lost homeland. On November 6, 1836, his life slipped away, and his last wish was honored. Legend says that his heart was sent to Paris, to return to the soil of France, but even in death, the government refused him, sending it back—a poignant reminder of a king forever exiled, longing for peace.

The end of a dynasty.

With the death of Charles X, the long-troubled Bourbon dynasty seemed to reach its final chapter, closing a period marked by dramatic rises and devastating falls. Once, under the reign of Louis XIV, the Bourbons stood as a symbol of European power and grandeur. But the glory faded with his successors, who faced mounting unrest and the consequences of royal excess. In 1793, the storm of revolution swept through France, abolishing the monarchy in a wave of anger and hope. The tragic executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by guillotine shocked the world, and the rise of Napoleon as emperor signaled a new era. Yet, after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1814, the monarchy was restored, and Louis XVIII ascended the throne, attempting to revive the Bourbon legacy. In 1824, his brother Charles X inherited the crown, but his reign was fraught with conflict. Charles clung stubbornly to tradition, insisting on his divine right to rule as an absolute monarch, blind to the profound changes the revolution had wrought. His refusal to compromise with the assembly, which demanded a constitutional monarchy, only deepened the divide. During the tumultuous “Three Glorious Days,” the people of France rose up once more, and Charles found himself utterly abandoned—his authority shattered, his dynasty left teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Hope and treason.

After Charles X abdicated on August 2, 1830, he made a desperate attempt to preserve the Bourbon dynasty by passing the crown to his grandson Henri, a boy of just ten years. Henri, known as the “miracle child,” had been born seven months after his father’s mysterious death, his very existence a beacon of hope for the Loyalists who feared the extinction of the Bourbon bloodline.

For them, Henri’s survival was a miracle; for the rival house of Orleans, it was a bitter setback. As a compromise, Henri was placed under the guardianship of Louis-Philippe d’Orleans. Yet, Louis-Philippe exploited the unrest and dissatisfaction within the assembly, maneuvering himself into power and claiming the throne for his own. The struggle between the Bourbon and Orleans families became a defining drama of the era, filled with betrayal. Henri, the innocent child at the heart of this conflict, was forced into exile and cruelly mocked as the “five-day king”—his brief “reign” between August 2 and August 9 never officially recognized.

Yet even Louis-Philippe I could not hold onto power, and in 1848, the tide of revolution swept through France once more, casting out its royals and ushering in the Second Republic.

Surprisingly the story of Henri – who is also buried at  Kostanjevica – did not come to an end yet. Years later, fate offered him an unexpected chance to reclaim the throne. The Second Republic itself proved fragile, and after Napoleon III’s devastating defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of September 1870, France was plunged into crisis. Amid uncertainty and longing for stability, the assembly began to wonder if restoring the monarchy—and Henri with it—might be the answer after all.

A fatal decision.

So, yet another attempt was made to restore the monarchy. Henri, now known as the Count of Chambord and still living in exile within the Austrian Empire, was nominated by parliament to become King Henri V. The coronation was set for October 31, 1873, and for a brief moment, hope flickered among the supporters of the old order. But Henri’s unwavering devotion to tradition led him to make a fateful decision: he refused to reign under the new French tricolor, the emblem of revolution, and insisted that the white fleur-de-lis – the ancient symbol of the Bourbon monarchy – be reinstated.

His demand sent shockwaves through the assembly, which immediately rejected it. Some hailed Henri’s stances as an act of courage and integrity, while others, including many noble houses of Europe, reacted with disbelief and disappointment. Even Pope Pius IX is said to have remarked, “and all this for a napkin.” Yet historians suggest that Henri’s refusal was more than a dispute over symbols; it was the final clash between an absolutist king and a parliament determined to limit royal power to a ceremonial role. Henri himself declared, “I cannot begin a strong and restorative reign with an act of weakness,” sealing his fate and that of the Bourbon dynasty.

Ultimately, the hope for a restored monarchy faded. The coronation was postponed repeatedly, and by 1875, the assembly’s patience had worn thin. Endless debates and Henri’s unwavering attempts to reclaim power led parliament to abandon the idea of a king altogether, choosing instead to establish the Third Republic. The French monarchy was consigned to the pages of history, its legacy now a distant memory.

A turbulent aftermath.

When Henri died in 1883, his devoted wife, Marie Therese Beatrice of Sicily, commissioned the construction of the famous crypt at Kostanjevica. Since then, the last Bourbon descendants and their relatives have found their final resting place in what the French affectionately call “Little Saint Denis”—a poignant reference to the basilica in Paris where generations of French kings, all but one, are buried. In Kostanjevica, the echoes of a lost dynasty linger, surrounded by the quiet dignity of their tombs.

Yet even in death, Charles and Henri found no immediate peace. In 1917, the Austrian emperor ordered their remains to be moved to Vienna, only for their sarcophagi to return to Kostanjevica in 1932—a journey as restless as their lives had been. To this day, loyal followers of the Bourbon house advocate for their remains to be reunited with the other French monarchs in Paris. The French Association for the Return of Charles X continues its campaign, but in 2017, Prince Alphonse de Bourbon, head of the current Bourbon family, visited Kostanjevica and affirmed that his ancestor’s wish was clear: Charles X should remain in this tranquil region, far from the turmoil of his lost kingdom.

Rest in peace, finally.

The Bourbon legacy endures in unexpected ways. The current Spanish king and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg trace their lineage to the famous French monarchs. Also, in Brazil and Italy Bourbon families exist. There is even an Indian branch of the family which still claims its right to the French throne.

At last, in Nova Gorica, the Bourbon saga found a poignant tribute. In 2025, Charles X was honored with a performance of Gioachino Rossini’s opera, The Journey to Reims, which tells the story of travelers on their way to his coronation. The event was organized in the context of Nova Gorica and Gorizia being Europeans Cultural capital 2025.

The music filled Europe Square, drifting up to Kostanjevica, where Charles and Henri rest—far from their homeland, yet surrounded by the world’s largest collection of Bourbon roses. In this peaceful sanctuary, the memory of a lost dynasty is kept alive, and perhaps, at last, the exiled kings have found their peace.

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