Lion of Lucerne is a memorial in Lucerne, Switzerland designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and carved in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn.⁣


Lion of Lucerne is a memorial in Lucerne, Switzerland designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and carved in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn.⁣

The monument commemorates the Swiss Guards who lost their lives in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The top inscription says Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti which translates to "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss".⁣

The monument depicts a dying lion impaled by a spear, covering a shield bearing the fleur-de-lis of the French monarchy. Next to him is another shield bearing the coat of arms of Switzerland.

 The inscription below show the names of the guards and provides the approximate numbers of soldiers who died (DCCLX = 760), and survived (CCCL = 350).⁣

Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally-wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

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