Monument to Bernard of Clairvaux (Dijon)

Coordinates: 47°19′32″N 5°02′20″E / 47.32556°N 5.03889°E / 47.32556; 5.03889
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Monument to Bernard of Clairvaux
Monument Bernard de Clairvaux
Map
47°19′32″N 5°02′20″E / 47.32556°N 5.03889°E / 47.32556; 5.03889
LocationPlace Saint-Bernard (Dijon)
DesignerAdrien-Léon Lacordaire
BuilderFrançois Jouffroy
TypeStatue on a pedestal
MaterialMarble and bronze

The monument to Bernard of Clairvaux at Dijon is a memorial built in 1847 by the dijonnais sculptor François Jouffroy, dedicated to the monk, statesman, preacher, orator and Catholic saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), located at the place Saint-Bernard of Dijon, at the French Côte-d'Or department.[1]

History[edit]

The place Saint-Bernard was built between 1836 and 1944, at the entrance of the historic district of Dijon, between the place Darcy and the place de la République. It was part of the construction projects of the real estate promoter Adrien-Léon Lacordaire, brother of Henri Lacordaire.

The monument was designed by Adrien-Léon Lacordaire himself, and the figure was sculpted by local François Jouffroy. The ornaments were commissioned to Auguste Forey.[2] It was inaugurated on an originally private space, the 7 November 1847, by the bishop of Dijon and Charles de Montalembert, in a ceremony attended by 5,000 people.

After the 1848 French Revolution, the statue was retired by the municipality and left at the Cathedral of Dijon. It was not re-installed until 1852, at request of the local bishop, with the approval of the municipal council.[3]

Description[edit]

The statue of Bernard of Clairvaux represents him while preaching the Second Crusade in 31 March 1146 before the assembly of the Vézelay Abbey. His left hand holds a Christian cross over his chest. Around the pedestal, five important personalities he influenced are depicted:

Inscriptions[edit]

  • base: Fs Jouffroy 1877
  • front: A / SAINT BERNARD / NE A FONTAINE-LES-DIJON / EN MXCI
  • back: ERIGE PAR SOUSCRIPTION / VII NOV. MDCCCXLVII

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Monument à saint Bernard – Dijon". e-monumen.net (in French). Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  2. ^ "FOREY". e-monumen.net (in French). Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  3. ^ "Les mystères de la rue - Dijon. Saint-Bernard, une statue qui dérange". www.bienpublic.com (in French). Retrieved 2019-08-20.

External links[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Monument de Saint Bernard érigé à Dijon en 1847, Victor Lagier libraire-éditeur, Dijon, 1847, p. 16-17, 37-39 (read online)