The statue of Louis XIV

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It all began in 1658, when Louis XIV decided to rename Place Bellecour to Place Royale to honor his person. To mark this event, the city of Lyon considered installing an equestrian statue of the king and renamed the square "Louis-le-Grand". The creation of this statue was entrusted to Martin Desjardins, a Parisian sculptor.

After its completion in Paris in 1694, it was decided to transport it to Lyon. Due to its considerable weight, the transport was done by river and sea, passing through Rouen, the Strait of Gibraltar, Toulon, Arles, and then up the Rhone to Oullins. However, upon its arrival in 1701, the statue capsized.

It would take another twelve years to install it on its base, decorated with allegorical representations of the Saone and of Rhone, created by Coustou in 1715.

With the advent of the Revolution in 1792, a decree required the destruction of all royal representations in order to recycle the bronze in the manufacture of cannons. The disappearance of the royal effigies then served as an alibi for military needs in bronze.

It was not until 1825, during the Restoration, that the city of Lyon decided to commission a new equestrian statue of Louis XIV from François-Frédéric Lemot, a sculptor from Lyon. Because of its imposing dimensions – 5.70 metres high and weighing 15 tonnes – Lemot called on a Parisian founder. The statue was transported to Lyon by land, pulled by a chariot drawn by 10 horses, requiring twelve days to reach its destination.

The statue is 5.2 metres high and weighs 9.5 tonnes. King Louis XIV is depicted riding "Roman style" (without saddle or stirrups), and is represented as Caesar, crowned with laurels and dressed in antique style.

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Pierre Bossan

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