"THE RUSE OF SAINT REMACLE " permanent sculpture in public space - STAVELOT
THE RUSE OF SAINT REMACLE
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Bronze sculpture handmade with the lost wax technique. 100 x 100 x 100cm 2022 . Location: 4970 Stavelot, Belgium; along the ravel 45, along the street "Chemin du pré des larrons” at Stavelot. |
Commissioned
by the cultural center of Stavelot (BE) and in the context of an artist
trail "Voie-x d'Art(iste)s", the latest bronze sculpture by Ina Leys
was placed along the walking and cycling route that connects Trois Pont
to Francorchamps .
The artist sought inspiration from the legends that are so numerous in the Belgian Ardennes.
"La Ruse de Saint Remacle" has its origins in the mythology of Saint Remacle, who founded the abbey in Stavelot in 651, and the Devil's Stone, a massive rock that can be found in the forest on the outskirts of Stavelot:
The day the dedication of the church built by Saint Remacle was to take place, the devil planned to throw a large stone on the roof in order to destroy the monks and the building.
Saint Remacle, warned by an angel, had a bag filled with old shoes collected from the monastic cells. He disguised himself and loaded the bag over his shoulders to go and meet Satan.
And the conversation began at the top of a steep hill, where the devil had just arrived:
- Comrade, said the devil, is Stavelot Abbey far from here?
The monk emptying his bag on the road replied:
- These are the shoes that I have worn out since my departure from Stavelot.
And the devil, discouraged, uttered a horrible blasphemy, left the stone and fled.
The "devil's burden" would have remained where it fell and remains there as a witness to Satan's new attempt to annihilate the church of Stavelot.
The sculpture, placed on the axis between the stone and the abbey, depicts the sack Saint Remacle left behind on his way back to Stavelot.
The artwork is an allegory of the legend, the collected shoes of the monks in the original story are given a contemporary twist and the link with the original legend is not only found in the representation of a bag of shoes, but also through the numerous references incorporated in the bronze.
The artist sought inspiration from the legends that are so numerous in the Belgian Ardennes.
"La Ruse de Saint Remacle" has its origins in the mythology of Saint Remacle, who founded the abbey in Stavelot in 651, and the Devil's Stone, a massive rock that can be found in the forest on the outskirts of Stavelot:
The day the dedication of the church built by Saint Remacle was to take place, the devil planned to throw a large stone on the roof in order to destroy the monks and the building.
Saint Remacle, warned by an angel, had a bag filled with old shoes collected from the monastic cells. He disguised himself and loaded the bag over his shoulders to go and meet Satan.
And the conversation began at the top of a steep hill, where the devil had just arrived:
- Comrade, said the devil, is Stavelot Abbey far from here?
The monk emptying his bag on the road replied:
- These are the shoes that I have worn out since my departure from Stavelot.
And the devil, discouraged, uttered a horrible blasphemy, left the stone and fled.
The "devil's burden" would have remained where it fell and remains there as a witness to Satan's new attempt to annihilate the church of Stavelot.
The sculpture, placed on the axis between the stone and the abbey, depicts the sack Saint Remacle left behind on his way back to Stavelot.
The artwork is an allegory of the legend, the collected shoes of the monks in the original story are given a contemporary twist and the link with the original legend is not only found in the representation of a bag of shoes, but also through the numerous references incorporated in the bronze.
Details sculpture :
