L'Archange Raphaël - Saint-Raphaël, France
Posted by: 
Narayan,
N 43° 25.323 E 006° 45.825
32T E 318976 N 4810113
Larger-than-life statue of the Archangel Raphael in the park Jardin Bonaparte of Saint-Raphaël.
Waymark Code: WM11EW8
Location: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Date Posted: 10/10/2019
Views: 5
The tourist town Saint-Raphaël at the Côte d'Azur is
named after the Archangel Raphael. Both, in Christianity and Judaism the Archangel is known and worshiped. According to the Old Testament of the Bible, he accompanied Tobias on his journey from Ninive to Rages and protected him. Later he finds Sara as wife for Tobias. Thus, Raphael is a symbol of companionship, protection, alliance of East and West, as well as the holy union of men and women.
The Archangel is not only eponym of the city of Saint-Raphaël, he always took a big a role in the town's history. The coat of arms depicts Raphael as well as the city's logo, which can be found at various places across the town. Since 2014, a five meters large statue of Raphael is the eyecatcher of the park
Jardin Bonaparte, right at the harbor "Le Vieux Port".
The statue has been made by the sculptor Nadége Fortune on behalf of the city of Saint-Raphaël and was inaugurated on October the 17th, 2014. It is made of bronze and shows Raphael together with Tobias. Noteworthy, both Raphael and Tobias are interpreted as female figures, Raphael as woman with wings, and Tobias as a small girl with a fish in her hands. Most other pictures, including the coat of arms of Saint-Raphaël, show Raphael and Tobias as males. Raphael is pointing to the East direction, showing Tobias the way to a new dawn.