The French Revolution was one of the most savage and barbaric episodes in the history of mankind. Almost 800 Swiss guards lost their lives trying to protect the king of France Louis VI and his wife Mary Antoinette as thousands of Frenchmen attacked them, lynched them, beheaded them in the most gruesome manner.
The lion of Lucerne in Switzerland is a monument dedicated to those brave guards. It is carved in a single rock depicting a mortally wounded lion lying down in pain still holding on and protecting the Fleur de lis - symbol of the Royal family.
Above the lion is inscribed Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti ("To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss")
It is a monument the sight of which can leave you with a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes..
"the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."
Mark Twain