The Golden Virgin Sculpture atop the Basilica
[A] | |
| Coordinates | 50°00′13″N 2°38′53″E / 50.003611°N 2.648056°ECoordinates: 50°00′13″N 2°38′53″E / 50.003611°N 2.648056°E |
|---|---|
| Location | 20 Rue Anicet Godin, 80300 Albert, France |
| Designer | Albert Roze |
| Material | Metal |
| Height | 5 m (16 ft 5 in)[1] |
| Completion date | 1897 |
| Dedicated to | The Virgin Mary |
The Golden Virgin, a/k/a 'The Leaning Virgin'[B] is a gilded sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary offering up the Baby Jesus skyward. Standing atop of the Basilique Notre-Dame de Brebières (French) Basilica of Our Lady of Brebières, a Catholic Church in Albert, France, it was sculpted by Albert Roze. After being nearly toppled by shellfire in the Battle of the Somme,[C] it became a symbol of resilience and a great visual icon during World War I. The statue was damaged and leaning in 1915 and went missing when it finally fell in 1918 as a result of the ultimate British bombardment.[3][4] It was recast and replaced thereafter.
The sculpture was covered with thousands of gold leaves. Pope Leo XIII christened the church and seeing the Golden Virgin he called the basilica “Lourdes of the North.” The sculpture was fastened to the bell tower.[5] When the statue was leaning after 2000 shells hit the town and Basilica in 1915.[5] French engineers fastened a chain to keep her from falling to open area below.[6] Other sources say it was either the British or the French who secured the statue with a thick cable.[4]
In 1915 during The Battle of the Somme, World War I, the sculpture was shelled and leaning past 90 degrees.[2][7]
In 1914 the Germans suspected there was a French observation post in the bell tower, so beginning in October 1914 they shelled the dome. By January 7, 1915, the dome was destroyed and by January 21, 1915, the base of the statue was hit and the statue "tilted alarmingly".[8] The sculpture was designed by French sculptor Albert Roze and in 1897 and it was placed atop the Basilique Notre-Dame de Brebières. The sculpture depicts a golden colored Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ high above her head. Artillery shells destroyed much of the town of Albert, but the statue of Mary remained attached to the Basilica and badly tilted.[7]
Superstitious soldiers studied the sculpture daily - wrote about her in their diaries and remarked that she was knocked over... threatening to fall over at any time. The messages about the statue were passed between troops, and it was often said that “When the Virgin falls, the war will end.”. Soldiers also said whomever knocked the statue down would lose the war.[D][5][7]
The statue became a symbol to British and German troops as soldiers remarked that the Virgin Mary was keeping the baby Christ from falling.[10] By 1918 the German troops occupied the city of Albert, and the British shelled the Basilique to deprive the Germans of the high position, and the statue finally was toppled. The statue was never recovered.[1] Coincidentally, WWI ended November 11, 1918.[11]
Residents discussed placing the sculpture in her famous war-time pose. They eventually decided to place her in her original standing pose.[1] The sculpture of the Golden Virgin was recast 1929[5] and fitted atop the 76 m (249 ft 4 in) bell tower during the reconstruction of the Basilica.[12]
The photo of leaning virgin was a fascination for many, and soldiers took photos: it appeared on many postcards at the time.[2][9] The actions of French engineers in shoring it up continue to be a source of amazement. Over one hundred years later, it remains a symbol and metaphor for the triumph of good over evil.[13]
The Golden Virgin and "flying baby" statue was recast and placed upon the reconstructed basilica.[14]
In 1957, and thereafter in many subsequent editions, the events surrounding the church and its sculpture were the subject of a popular novel by Henry Williamson, titled The Golden Virgin, being Volume 6 of the A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight series. It was selected as a Daily Mail Book of the Month. [15]
