Apotheosis of St. Louis The plaster statue of King Louis IX of France (1214- 1270) was sculpted by Charles Henry Niehaus for the 1904 World’s Fair. After the Fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company decided to present a bronze version of the sculpture to the City of St. Louis. The plaster was cast in bronze by W. R. Hodges. The statue has stood tall upon Art Hill since 1906.

WHO WAS ST. LOUIS ANYWAY? St. Louis IX was King of France from 1226 to 1270. He was crowned king at the age of 12 and his mother ruled the kingdom as regent until he reached maturity. A devout Catholic, St. Louis was known for his sense of justice and piety. He led two crusades to recover the Holy Land, the second of which led to his death. He is the only French king to be canonized a saint.

He was a family man. He was a loving husband to Margaret of Provence and father to eleven children. He was very close to his mother, Queen Blanche, who instilled in him a deep love for his faith.

He was a humanitarian. He fed the poor daily at his table in the palace and washed their feet every Saturday. He often visited hospitals and tend- ed to the sick. He built hospitals, libraries, orphanages, and hostels for the blind and for women.

He promoted justice, peace, and reform. He reformed the courts and the tax system, introduced the concept of the presumption of innocence in criminal procedure, and eliminated trial by combat and trial by ordeal, replacing them with trial by jury.

He was a patron of the arts. He commissioned the building of churches, cathedrals, and schools. These included the famous Sorbonne Theological School in Paris and the Gothic jewel, the Sainte Chapelle, where he enshrined Jesus’ Crown of Thorns, which had been gifted to him by the emperor of Constantinople.

St. Louis, as our namesake, is a great symbol of the charity, arts, strength, and spirit of our fair city. His statue on Art Hill should prompt meditation on the past, present, and future, and inspire us to persevere toward a common goal of peace and justice.

For more information, check out Britannica.com and the many writings of Thomas F. Madden (thomasmadden.org).