Within a general hypothesis about the symbolism of international criminal trials, the author develops a concrete analysis of the judicial ritual before the International Criminal Court. The analysis is divided into three concentric circles: first, The Hague, “city of peace and international justice” located far from the actual situations handled by the Court; second, the new building of the Court, then, as it materializes the party states’ aspirations towards international law; and, third, the courtroom mises-en-scène, where decorum and a sense of play seem to be required. Lastly, the author comments on the absence of publicity about these judicial “stage directions” as well as pretensions to universality in these judicial rituals.