'The Golden Virgin' is a gilded sculpture installed on the rooftop of which church?
'The Golden Virgin', also known as 'The Leaning Virgin', is a gilded sculpture by the French artist Albert Roze originally completed in 1897 and installed on the rooftop of the Basilica of Our Lady of Brebières in Albert, France. Regarded as a symbol of French resilience during World War I, the artwork portrays the Virgin Mary presenting Christ Child heavenward.
In 1915, German shelling knocked over the statue, and it nearly toppled again due to shellfire during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. After falling in 1918 as a result of British bombardment, the statue went missing. Its destruction took on mythical proportions, with the anticipated toppling superstitiously believed to influence the war's outcome. Eventually, the statue was recast and replaced in 1929.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Brebières, (French 'Basilique Notre-Dame de Brebières') is a Roman Catholic minor Basilica designed by Edmond Duthoit in 1897. The structure was completely destroyed during shelling in World War I and rebuilt by the original architect's son Louis Duthoit from 1927 to 1931.
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