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Statue de l'abbé Suger

Monument, Small mixed / monastic style, Abbey, Ruins and remains in Saint-Omer
  • The statue of Suger in front of the ruins of Saint-Bertin Abbey is the work of Jean-Baptiste Stouf, a French sculptor (1742-1826). It was one of a group of twelve monumental statues installed in the main courtyard of the Château de Versailles in 1836. In 1931, it was decided that these statues would be scattered across France according to the place of birth of each man they represented. Thus, in February 1931, the town of Saint-Omer was given the name of Suger, who was supposedly born in the...
    The statue of Suger in front of the ruins of Saint-Bertin Abbey is the work of Jean-Baptiste Stouf, a French sculptor (1742-1826). It was one of a group of twelve monumental statues installed in the main courtyard of the Château de Versailles in 1836. In 1931, it was decided that these statues would be scattered across France according to the place of birth of each man they represented. Thus, in February 1931, the town of Saint-Omer was given the name of Suger, who was supposedly born in the town.
    This remarkable marble statue, measuring 4.50 metres and weighing 8 tonnes, is still enthroned in Saint-Bertin, where he is said to have received his first education. A witness to past suffering, he escaped the bombings of 1943 and witnessed the fall of the Saint-Bertin tower on 22 July 1947.
    It was restored to remove the black crust caused by atmospheric pollution from the industries of the 19th and 20th centuries.
    Suger's origin in Auvergne is a false legend. The story of Abbé Suger :
    When King Louis VII left on a crusade, he entrusted the kingdom to his friend and minister Suger. Suger, who was appointed regent of the kingdom, is depicted on the statue in the abbey with two of the attributes of royal power: the crown on a cushion and the hand of justice, symbolising the power to dispense justice.
    Suger was born in Saint Omer in 1082 and died in 1152 at the court of King Louis VII. He was one of the central figures at Saint-Denis Abbey, one of the most powerful Benedictine abbeys in France. From 1135, he devoted himself to rebuilding the old Carolingian edifice. He set about reforming the abbey, whose monks no longer respected the rule, and made the estate prosper. Part of his resources were devoted to rebuilding the abbey of Saint-Denis: Suger had the façade and chevet of the abbey church built, one of the masterpieces of French Gothic art.
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