Geneva has always been a proudly independent place, and a centre of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Despite being Francophone, it was always destined to end up in the predominantly German-speaking Swiss Confederacy.
The leading figure in much of this was Jean Calvin, founder of the Republic of Geneva. In 1909, 400 years after his birth, the authorities built a Reformation Wall, as grandiose a celebration of Reformation landmarks and heroes as the Calvinist mindset will allow. It sits in the Parc des Bastions, against the fortifications of the Old Town, and in the grounds of the University that Calvin founded.
You’ll make out the 1602, if not the French. The Catholic Duke of Savoy mounted a sneak attack on the Old Town in that year. The plan was for an escalade, or a scaling of the walls, but, like most of the Savoyards, it fell flat on its face as the locals mounted a stiff resistance, sometimes accompanied by boiling soup. To this day the Escalade is celebrated here every December.
Other events in the history of Protestant liberty commemorated include our own Bill of Rights, shown – just about – here…
…and there are also heroes such as Oliver Cromwell, who brought his own individual sense of religious tolerance to the Catholics of Ireland, and please just look! Look at the lovely sculpture! And the water!
The centrepiece of the wall are Calvin himself and his three key allies.
From left to right, William Farel, Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox.
What the Wall doesn’t tell you – apart from Drogheda – is what an austere and joyless place Geneva must have been under Calvin. Before then the region was known for its superb jewellers. But jewellery became seen as ungodly frippery, and the jewellers had to turn their products into something wholesome and functional. And what could be more useful than something that told God’s hours…
But time moves on, and time has the last laugh. The group of four are situated so they look straight across the small ornamental park, and down the entrance of the university building. And when I was passing it looked like they were holding a Fresher’s Fair. And doing it to the sound of some hot Latin dance grooves. At least one student was out there throwing shapes, beer in her hand…
The sights wafted over to Calvin and chums, on the back of those Latin beats…
Knox looks horrified. Beza looks terrified. While Calvin has some new, and rather nasty edicts in mind.
And Farel, well it might just be me, but – doesn’t he look like he wants to be over there too?
orwellianTwo 