|
|
SERVETUS IN GENEVA: PLACES TO VISIT
Cliff Reed
12th September 2003
-
Cathedrale St-Pierre: At the heart of
the old town, the cathedral was John Calvin’s pulpit
from 1536 and became the headquarters of the Calvinist
Reformation. Among Calvin’s sermon topics in the
autumn of 1553 was the denunciation of Michael Servetus,
who lay in prison only a short distance away.
-
Site of La Rose d’Or: It
was at this inn, on the corner of Place du Molard and
Rue du Rhone, that Servetus lodged on his arrival in Geneva
on 12th or 13th August 1553, after four months on the
run from the French Inquisition. The site is now occupied
by a shop called ‘Zara’.
[Note from Jaume de Marcos: This must be a sarcastic twist
of destiny, because Zara is a Spain-based international
fashion chain of stores.]
-
Temple de la Madeleine: Servetus attended
service at this church, where Guillaume Farel was minister,
on the afternoon of Sunday, 13th August. Not to have gone
to church in Calvin’s Geneva would have aroused
suspicion. However, Servetus was recognised – presumably
by people who had knownhim in France – and he was
arrested and taken off to prison.
-
Site of the Bishop’s Palace: Following
the Reformation, the Bishop’s Palace was turned
into a prison and courthouse. Servetus was both imprisoned
and tried here. He was kept in appalling conditions and
only brought from his cell for the show trial that ended
with his conviction and condemnation as a heretic on 26th
October. The building stood on the rue L’Eveche
in the shadow of the Cathedral. It was later demolished
and a prison was built on the site. It is now an open
space.
-
Hotel de Ville: Standing on a street
to which it gives its name, the historic administrative
headquarters of Geneva dates, in parts, from the 15th
century. It was here, at 10-00 in the morning of 27th
October 1553, that Servetus was brought for final condemnation.
The procession to the place of execution in Champel then
set out.
-
Monument de la Reformation: Today, a
walk from the Hotel de Ville to Champel could well take
in this impressive monument in the Promenade des Bastions.
It takes the form of a wall, on which statuary and inscription
celebrate the great figures of the ‘orthodox’
Reformation. Central are the four ‘giants’
of Calvinism: John Calvin, Guillaume Farel, Theodore Beza
and John Knox. Needless to say, there is no mention of
Servetus!
-
Champel: It was here, to what is now
a district to the south of the city centre, that Servetus
was brought for execution – timed for 12-00 noon
– on the 27th October 1553. The place where Servetus
suffered his agonising death by burning at the stake,
was probably the Plateau de Champel, at the top of what
is now the rue Michel Servet. To visit Servetus’
memorial, however, one must find an obscure spot near
the bottom of that street. On a steep slope, where the
Av. de la Rosarie meets the Av. de Beau-Sejour, stands
a simple stone, erected in 1903, which commemorates Michael
Servetus.Bearing in mind his rarely acknowledged
contribution to medical science, it is appropriate, if
not ironic, that his memorial faces the back of the Cantonal
Hospital!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
