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This article is centred on the celebration of the Saint-Napoléon in an administratively important town (a chef-lieu d’arrondissement), namely Joigny (Yonne) and it is based on local source material, documents from local and departmental archives, and the local newspaper. Following in the footsteps of Sudhir Hazareesingh, it adopts an unashamedly micro-historical approach. Of particular interest is the importance for the mayor and his appointed (not elected) deputies of local opinions on how well (or how poorly) the ceremony was deemed to have been celebrated on this the emperor’s holiday. The study takes as its reference points four dates, 1854, 1856, 1859 and 1866. It charts clergy opposition to the celebration as a result of the Roman question post-1859 and also the growing discontent of Republicans, who seized upon the Saint-Napoléon as a moment in which to manifest their rejection of the regime. The final part of the article is an overview of the day, from 1802 to 1870. It reveals how deeply the celebration penetrated during Second Empire and how much (from 1880 on) the ritual of the Saint-Napoléon was taken up in the celebration of the 14th of July, “the hidden son of the Saint-Napoléon”, for a long time deliberately forgotten by Republican and even university historiography. Of particular interest are the fundamental differences: the Catholic church is largely absent from the celebration of the Quatorze Juillet – in Joigny, High Mass was replaced by the planting of a Liberty Tree in Place Saint-André (St Andrew’s Square) then renamed Place de la République (Republic Square) –, and the significant role in the new ritual played by the Marseillaise.