''Apotheosis of St. Louis'' is a statue of King Louis IX of France, namesake of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, located in front of the

Saint Louis Art Museum The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is one of the principal U.S. art museums, with paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from all corners of the world. Its three-story building stands in Forest Park in St. Louis, ...

in Forest Park. Part of the iconography of St. Louis, the statue was the principal symbol of the city between its erection in 1906 and the construction of the

Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources consider ...

in the mid-1960s.

History

The bronze statue that stands in Forest Park today was donated to Forest Park by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company after the

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 milli ...

. It is a replica of a plaster statue that stood on the concourse of the Plaza of St. Louis, near the main entrance to the fair (where the

Missouri History Museum The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri, showcases Missouri history. It is operated by the Missouri Historical Society, which was founded in 1866. Museum admission is free through a public subsidy by the Metropolitan ...

now stands). Its sculptor,

Charles Henry Niehaus Charles Henry Niehaus (January 24, 1855 — June 19, 1935), was an American sculptor. Education Niehaus was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to German parents. He began working as a marble and wood carver, and then gained entrance to the McMicken ...

, offered to create a bronze version of the plaster model for $90,000. Instead, the company took a lower $37,500 bid from a local artist, W. R. Hodges. Niehaus sued the company for infringement of his intellectual property rights, and he was awarded $3,000 and "designed by C. H. Niehaus" inscribed on the pedestal. It was unveiled on October 4, 1906. On the west side of the pedestal is the inscription, "Presented to the City of St. Louis by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in commemoration of the Universal Exposition of 1904 held on this site." The north and south sides are inscribed "Saint Louis." The statue featured heavily in St. Louis iconography until the completion of the

in the 1960s. The statue in profile is the image on the arms and Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 138th Infantry Regiment (aka "The First Missouri" and "St. Louis' Own'") of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

and

Missouri National Guard The Missouri National Guard (MONG), commonly known as the Missouri Guard, is a component of the Army National Guard and Missouri State Department of the National Guard. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard units. The Department office is ...

. It was used as part of the logo for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

in the 1930s and 40s. In 2008 it was resurrected by

St. Louis Soccer United AC St. Louis was an American professional association football, soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF ...

for use on their logo and converted to

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

for the St. Louis Athletica. This transmutation was made legitimate by the reconciling of ''Arc'' with ''Arch''. Over the years, Saint Louis' sword has been broken or stolen a number of times. It was replaced in 1970, 1972, 1977 and 1981. Stealing, and later returning, the sword was considered a rite of passage for students in the engineering program at nearby

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. The statue was restored in 1999 by Russell-Marti Conservation Services for $23,000. In 2020, amid American racial unrest, a coalition of political activists called for the statute to be removed. The group was led by

Umar Lee Umar Lee (born Brett Darren Lee; September 18, 1974 in St Louis, Missouri) is an American writer, media personality and political activist. Religion Coming from a white Protestant background, Lee converted to Sunni Islam in the 1990s and quickl ...

and accused King Louis IX of antisemitism, citing his burning of Jewish texts and the expulsion of

French Jews The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but persecution increased over time, including multiple expulsi ...

(of which the latter did not happen under Louis IX), as well as the

Seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...

and Eighth Crusades. Local Catholics counter-protested in support of the statue and prayed the rosary in front of the statue. The protest and counter-protest lasted around three hours, with several peaceful Catholic & Non-Catholic counter-protestors physically and verbally attacked by the coalition near its end. Archbishop

Robert James Carlson Robert James Carlson (born June 30, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 2009 to 2020. Carlson previously served as an auxiliary bishop ...

of the

Archdiocese of St. Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Ludovici) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perr ...

spoke in defense of the statue's presence, citing Louis IX's pious actions, including his charity towards the poor. Historian Thomas Madden evaluated the history of Louis IX and concluded that the statue is not religious art but a symbol of modern progress, coming out in favor of keeping the statue.Thomas F. Madden, "In Defense of King Louis IX"

Gallery

Image:Apotheosis-of-saint-louis.jpg Image:Apotheosis-of-saint-louis-side-view.jpg Image:StLouisArtMuseum.jpg, Positioned before the Art Museum

References

External links

The ''Apotheosis of St. Louis'': Statue of Saint Louis, King Louis IX of France
{{coord, 38.63980, -90.29409, type:landmark_region:US-MO, display=title Landmarks of St. Louis Outdoor sculptures in Missouri 1904 sculptures 1906 establishments in Missouri Bronze sculptures in Missouri Equestrian statues in Missouri Forest Park (St. Louis)

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Sculptures of men in Missouri Vandalized works of art in Missouri Tourist attractions in St. Louis Buildings and structures in St. Louis Louis IX of France