The statue of Charlemagne is a prominent public monument topped by an

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, created by sculptor Louis Jehotte in 1867.

History

Louis Jehotte suggested the idea of the monument to the city of Liège in 1855 based on his lifelong interest on Charlemagne, about whom he would later coauthor an essay jointly with his friend André van Hasselt, published in 1880. In this, Jehotte echoed a broader aspiration for national heroes in the young Belgian nation. But his effort was complicated by uncertainty about the exact location of Charlemagne's birthplace, with Liège being only one of the contenders. The city authorities endorsed Jehotte's suggestion of a Charlemagne monument in 1860, and in 1862 also agreed to locate it on Jehotte's recommendation on the central Place Saint-Lambert, where the Cathedral of Saint Lambert had stood until its demolition in the late 18th century. The latter decision was modified in 1863, however, when the municipality opted for the current spot, on a square at the crossing of ' and ', in what was then a newly developed neighborhood. Jehotte contested that decision in court, but lost; he completed the work in his

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

workshop in 1867. The monument was inaugurated on 26 July 1868 in the presence of , Governor of the

Liège Province Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium. Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg, the ...

. In 1888, three of the pedestal's statues were damaged by vandalism. The entire monument was renovated in 2011–2012.

Description

Charlemagne is represented wearing a

chlamys The chlamys (; genitive: ) was a type of ancient Greek cloak. It was worn by men for military and hunting purposes during the Classical, Hellenistic and later periods. By the time of the Byzantine Empire it was part of the state costume of the ...

and

tunic A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

, with a short sword on his side, and extending his arm in a gesture of friendship and protection towards

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. On the pedestal stand depictions of his father

Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...

, mother

Bertrada of Laon Bertrada of Laon (born between 710 and 727 – 12 July 783), also known as Bertrada the Younger or Bertha Broadfoot (, i.e. the queen with the goose-foot), was a Frankish queen. She was the wife of Pepin the Short and the mother of Charlemagne, ...

, grandfather

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, great-grandfather

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Franks, Frankish statesman and military leader who was the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke ...

, great-great-grandmother

Begga Saint Begga (also Begue, Beghe, Begge) (615 – 17 December 693) was the daughter of Pepin of Landen, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, and his wife Itta. She is also the grandmother of Charles Martel, who is the grandfather of Charlemagne. ...

and the latter's father

Pepin of Landen Pepin I (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Sige ...

. This choice of depicted ancestors reflects Jehotte's focus on the branch of Charlemagne's family that originated in Liège and its neighborhood.

Notes

{{RefList Statues of monarchs Cultural depictions of Charlemagne

History

Description

See also

Notes