The International Monument to the Reformation (French: ''Monument international de la Réformation''; German: ''Internationales Reformationsdenkmal''), usually known as the Reformation Wall (French: ''Mur des réformateurs''), was inaugurated in 1909 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Switzerland. It honours many of the main individuals, events, and documents of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

by depicting them in statues and

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s. The Wall is in the grounds of the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

, which was founded by

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

, and was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Calvin's birth and the 350th anniversary of the university's establishment. It is built into the old

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

, and the monument's location there is designed to represent the integral importance of the fortifications, and therefore of the city of Geneva, to the Reformation. The monument was the culmination of a contest launched to transform that part of the park. The contest involved 71 proposals from around the world, and was won by four Swiss architects: Charles Dubois,

Alphonse Laverrière Alphonse Laverrière (16 May 1872 – 11 March 1954) was a Swiss architect. He studied at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts and was professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1912, he won a gold me ...

, Eugène Monod, and Jean Taillens (whose other design came third). The sculptures were then created by two French sculptors: Paul Landowski and Henri Bouchard.Chancellerie de l'Etat de Genève:
Le parc des Bastions
'. URL last accessed 2008-04-28.McWilliam, Neil:

, ''The Art Bulletin'', June 1, 1995. URL last accessed 2008-04-28. During the Reformation, Geneva was the centre of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

, and its history and heritage since the sixteenth century has been closely linked to that of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. Due to the close connections to that theology, the individuals most prominently depicted on the Wall were Calvinists; nonetheless, key figures in other theologies are also included. At the centre of the monument, four 5 metre-tall statues of Calvinism's main proponents are depicted: *

William Farel William Farel (1489 – 13 September 1565), Guilhem Farel or Guillaume Farel (), was a French evangelist, Protestant reformer and a founder of the Calvinist Church in the Principality of Neuchâtel, in the Republic of Geneva, and in Switzerland ...

(1489–1565) *

(1509–1564) * Theodore Beza (1519–1605) *

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

(c.1513–1572) To the left (facing the Wall, ordered from left to right) of the central statues are 3 metre-tall statues of: * Frederick William of Brandenburg (1620–1688) *

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

(1533–1584) * Gaspard de Coligny (1519–1572) To the right (ordered from left to right) are 3 metre-tall statues of: *

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

(1603–1684) *

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

(1599–1658) * Stephen Bocskai (1557–1606) Along the wall, to either side of the central statues, is engraved the motto of both the Reformation and Geneva: '' Post Tenebras Lux'' (Latin for ''After darkness, light''). On the central statues' pedestal is engraved a

Christogram A Christogram ( la, Monogramma Christi) is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbolism, religious symbol within the Christian Church. One of the oldes ...

: ΙΗΣ. The monument gave inspiration to one of the most important 20th century Hungarian poems, written by

Gyula Illyés Gyula Illyés born ''Gyula Illés'' (2 November 1902 – 15 April 1983) was a Hungarian poet and novelist. He was one of the so-called ''népi'' ("from the people") writers, named so because they aimed to show – propelled by strong so ...

in 1946 under the title ''Before the Monument of Reformation in Geneva''.

References

{{Coord, 46, 12, 01, N, 6, 08, 44, E, display=title, source:dewiki 1909 sculptures Buildings and structures in Geneva Culture in Geneva Monuments and memorials in Switzerland Protestant Reformation Reformation in Switzerland University of Geneva Tourist attractions in Geneva Walls Colossal statues