The Mont-joie Saint-Denis battle cry under Louis the Fat and the film “The Visitors”

The composite battle cry of the French knights, Mont-joie Saint-Denis!, has been known since the time of Charlemagne, but it spread most widely under Louis the Fat, who in the story is the suzerain of the Count de Malfête. The etymology of the cry is traced back to Christian pilgrims, who set up stone markers along the roads to commemorate the place where a pilgrimage began. These heaps of stones were called mont-joie; in time crosses were raised on them, and later still they came to be used to mark roads. The second part of the cry refers us to Saint-Denis, who provided heavenly protection to the French crown and kingdom. Louis the Fat was called the King of Saint-Denis, so it is hardly surprising that this battle cry became the classic one for the chivalry precisely during his reign.

And, by the way, "Les Visiteurs" is one of my favourite films. The first part especially. Though I know it by heart, I can still watch it several times a month. And the moment when Béatrice recognises her ancestor and gets him out of the lunatic asylum moves me to tears of tenderness every time)