Statues - Hither & Thither

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Beuel
Stadt Bonn
Nordrhein-Westfalen

Dixstraße 43
(St. Maria und St. Clemens Doppelkirche)

Marienbrunnen

Saint Mary's Fountain

The mother of Jesus Christ
(Wikipedia)

Jochem Pechau & Theo Heiermann
1989

Description

Statuette of St. Mary with child, standing on a base with chamfered corners. On the chamfers texts and the coat of arms of Cardinal Joachim Meisner (1933), archbishop of K7#246;ln, and the coat of arms of Bonn and Beuel divided by the river Rhine.
The whole is placed on a stone square fountain, with on the corners bronze sculptures of the symbols of the Four Evangelists:

Beuel - Marienbrunnen
1
2
3
4

Angel: St. Matthäus, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists. His attribute is an angel. As patron saint of book-keepers, tax collectors and security forces, he is also depicted with writing utensils (Wikipedia).
Winged lion: St. Markus, one the four Evangelists. His attribute is a lion (Wikipedia).
Winged bull: St. Lukas, one of the four Evangelists. His attribute is an ox or bull, usually having wings (Wikipedia).
Eagle: St. Johannes, conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John - considered to be the same person as John the Apostle (Wikipedia).

Inscription(s)

AQuARuM igitur
ViVeNTiuM PuTeuS
id est sanctuarum scriptu
rarum sacrarium
SoRoR MeA
SpOnSa
tu es

sanCtae DeI genItrICI
et rVperto tVItIensI
anno IVbILatI CIVItatIs
DeDICatVs

chronogram for 1989

Annotation

This Fountain is Pechau's last work and finished by Theo Heiermann.

Depictions of Saint Mary

Saint Mary, as the mother of Jesus Christ, has a central role in the life of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic veneration of her as the Blessed Virgin Mary has grown over time both in importance and manifestation, not only in prayer but in art, poetry and music. She is usually depicted as a beautiful young woman, with a (blue) mantle. In the majority of the depictions she is having the Infant Jesus in her arms or on her lap.
Attributes of Saint Mary:

A crown of 12 stars (Relevation 12:1), sometimes 7 stars.
A royal crown, sometimes also a scepter: Mary Queen of Heaven.
Standing on a globe.
Standing on the crescent moon (Relevation 12:1).
Crushing the serpent (sometimes a dragon) under her feet. The serpent can have an apple in his mouth (Genesis 3:15). A special depiction is where Jesus impales the serpent with a spear-cross.
Flowers: Lily (symbol of virginity and purity), roses (Mary's mystical participation in the Holy Trinity as Heaven's Rose or Mystical Rose), iris or "Sword Lily" (emblem of Our Lady's Seven Sorrows), fleur-de-lis (resembling both the Iris and the Madonna Lily)

The Infant Jesus sometimes has some attributes too:

a crown and/or a royal orb (usually in combination with Mary as Queen of Heaven)
making a blessing gesture

Sculptors

Theo Heiermann (Bottrop 1925 - Köln 1996), German sculptor and painter (Wikipedia).
Jochem Pechau (Marburg a.d. Lahn 1929 - Weibern 1989), German sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Bonn - Kunstwerke im öffentlichen Raum nach 1945 (PDF on-line).

Locatie (N 50°45'1" - E 7°6'53") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: denw481; Photograph: 15 September 2015
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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