History of Lion Monument in Lucernce, Switzerland.

[LRNC]

Hello,

I was just wondering, would anybody be able to tell me about the history behind the Lion Monument in Lucerne, Switzerland? A friend of mine just came back from a holiday but she couldnt tell me much about its history other than it is in commemoration of a fallen soldier(s). What is the full story behind it? What do the Latin words found under the monument mean? When I looked at the photo of it, I was in awe of it and would just like to satisfy my curiosity. Thank you very much.

[Kim]

It is quite beautiful, isn't it! Maybe unique is a better word..

OK, this is what the inscriptions mean:

HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI
The loyalty and bravery of the Swiss

DIE X AUGUSTI II ET III SEPTEMBRIS MDCCXCII
10. August, 2. and 3. September 1792

HAEC SUNT NOMINA EORUM QUI NE SACRAMENTI FIDEM FALLERENT
Honour roll of the soldiers, who, while upholding their oath of allegiance,

FORTISSIME PUGNANTES CECIDERUNT
Fell in the line of duty:

SOLERTI AMICORUM CURA CLADI SUPERFUERUNT
Survived the battle through the care and attention of friends

(It then lists the names)

HUIUS REI GESTAE CIVES AERE COLLATO PERRENNE MONUMENTUM POSUERE
The citizens of Lucerne erected and funded this monument to commemorate this battle

STUDIO C. PFYFFER
Thanks to the efforts of Karl Pfyffer

ARTE A.THORVALDSEN
The design of Albert Thorwaldsen

OPERA L. AHORN
The execution by Lukas Ahorn

The history behind it is that it commemorates the than 700+ officers and soldiers of the Swiss Guard who died defending the king during the Storming of the Tuileries in the French Revolution.

Here is some more interesting info on it:

"On August 10, 1792, the 900 members of the Swiss Guard defended the Tuileries Palace in Paris against a mob of about 30,000 Parisians intent on capturing King Louis XVI.

No one told the Swiss Guard that the king and his family had already fled from the palace. They held their ground and were massacred by the mob. (King Louis XVI would die under the guillotine the following year.)"

Kim

[snorkelman]

Yes, the neatest thing this city has to offer is a lion that is carved into a rock mountain. It is called the Dying Lion and is a national monument honoring members of the Swiss Guard who died at the Storming of the Tuileries during the French Revolution. The lion has a spear in its side and a tear from its eye and it commemorates courage and self-sacrifice.

Here is the most interesting part of its history:
The French offered to pay for a memorial to the Swiss Guard who died and the Swiss built this monument, but the French never paid. So, to get the French back, you will see the carving around the lion is in the shape of a pig (the actual cave outline). This was the Swiss way of sticking it to the French.

[nitsansh]

Oh... this is Thorvaldsen's creation?
I LOVED his museum of sculptings (sp?) in Copenhagen! He's great!

[nitsansh]

nitsansh said:

Oh... this is Thorvaldsen's creation?

Not exactly... same family name, but different first names... the sculptor from Denmark is BERTEL Thorvaldsen... So, both of them are great!

[monique]

WOW! That's very interesting about the outline of the cave. I'll have to look at my scrapbook tonight! I loved that monument. It was especially moving the in the pouring rain. The odd thing is that it looks like a beautiful, sunny day in my pictures.