The Reformation Monument, Geneva
IWASTHERE13

by

Priscilla Turner

The Reformation Monument, Geneva
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The Reformation Monument, Geneva
This imposing structure, appropriately located in the city dubbed the "Protestant Rome," is the most impressive general monument to the Reformation there is. The giant wall (325 feet long, 30 feet high) dominates the large Parc des Bastions and centers on 15-foot-tall statues of four Geneva luminaries:

Guillaume Farel - the first to preach the Reformation in Geneva
John Calvin - leader of the Reformation movement and spiritual father of Geneva
Theodore Beza - Calvin's successor, born in Vezelay (France) and known for emphasizing Calvin's doctrine of predestination
John Knox - Scottish preacher, friend of Calvin, and founder of Presbyterianism in Scotland

It is ironic to recall that these reformers did not look kindly on statues during their lifetimes—and in fact they look very stern indeed. Behind the statues runs the motto shared by the Reformation and Geneva: Post Tenebras Lux ("After Darkness, Light").

The four Genevan reformers are flanked by smaller statues of major Protestant figures, bas-reliefs, and inscriptions. One of the reliefs shows Roger Williams and the pilgrim fathers praying on the deck of the Mayflower; another features the 1689 presentation of the Bill of Rights to the King William of Orange by the English Parliament.

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