Statues - Hither & Thither

 

Description

The church, mainly sixteenth century, was adorned with statues on the two towers and on the front façade in the mid-19th-century.

Façade

Notre-Dame de Grâces, by Jean-Marie Bonnassieux, 1858 or 1878

  
Sainte-Anne and Saint Joachim, by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch, 1859
The parents of Saint Mary.

Saint Nizier / Saint Nicetius of Lyon, by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch, 1859
(513 - 572), Archbishop of Lyon (Wikipedia).

The Towers

Each of the two towers has four statues on the balustrade on each of the four sides. The statues on the east side are hardly visible from the street.
Sculpted by Guillaume Bonnet, 1855.

South Tower

Saint Jean-Baptiste / Saint John the Baptist (c. 6 BC- c. 36 AD), itinerant preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River. He baptized Jesus at "Bethany beyond the Jordan." (Wikipedia).

Saint Paul the Apostle, (c. 5 - c. 67 ), persecuted the early followers of Jesus before switching sides and seeking to join them. He was instrumental in creating the Christian Church. He is the protector of tent-makers, theologians and the ecclesiastical press and is depicted with a sword. (Wikipedia).

Saint Sacerdos / Saint Sacerdos of Limoges (670-c. 720) Bishop of Limoges (Wikipedia). (the statue is very similar to the St. Sacerdos statue inside the church).

Saint Étienne / Saint Stephen ? According to Penlou there is a statue of St. Stephen on this tower

North Tower

Saint Joseph ? the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ (in distinction to God, his "heavenly father") (Wikipedia).

Saint Pierre / Saint Peter (possibly died AD 67), apostle, first pope; patron saint of locksmiths and confessors. Usually holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven in his hand (Wikipedia)

(bishop)

The statue on the east side is unvisible from the street

Artists

• Jean-Marie Bonnassieux (Panissières, Loire 1810 - Paris 1892), French sculptor (Wikipedia).
  
• Guillaume Bonnet (Saint-Germain-Laval 1820 - Lyon 1873), French sculptor (Wikipedia).
  
• Joseph-Hugues Fabisch (Aix-en-Provence 1812 - Lyon 1886), French sculptor (Wikipedia – Musée du Diocèse de Lyon).

Sources & Information

• Séverine Penlou, Rôles et fonctions de la sculpture religieuse à Lyon de 1850 à 1914 (thèse Lyon 2, 2008) (PDF on-line), cat. 729, 730, 733, 734, 736, and 737.
• J.B. Martin, Histoire des églises et chapelles de Lyon (Lyon 1908-1909), vol. II (PDF on-line), p. 349-358.
• Catherine de Rivaz, et al., Guide des Madones de Lyon (Lyon, 2008), p. 35-36.
• Patrimoine Lyon, L'Église Saint-Nizier.
• Statues de France XVe au XIXe, Églises de Lyon.
• Wikipedia, Église Saint Nizier de Lyon.

Tags

Location (N 45°45'52" - E 4°50'0") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

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