Truth freed him. These words encapsulate the spirit of Alphonse Renard Statue.
Here at the corner of Avenue du Général de Gaulle and Rue de Belle-Vue stands a tribute to Alphonse François Renard. Alphonse Renard was not a soldier or a king. He was a Belgian geologist and petrographer.
Born in 1842, Alphonse Renard initially trained for the priesthood. He even served as a superintendent at a college in Namur. But the world of rocks and minerals called to him. He shifted his focus to geology. He studied chemistry and mineralogy. His passion led him to become a distinguished petrographer.
Alphonse Renard’s journey was one of intellectual exploration. He taught at the Jesuit college in Leuven. Later, he became a curator at the Royal Natural History Museum in Brussels. Finally, he became a geology professor at the University of Ghent.
Renard’s life took another turn when he was ordained a priest in 1877. However, his desire for intellectual freedom grew stronger over time. Ultimately, he separated from the Church.
Alphonse Renard made significant contributions to science. He co-authored a study on the mineralogy of rocks in Belgium and the French Ardennes. He also examined rock specimens from the Challenger Expedition. This expedition led to the discovery of cosmic dust on the ocean floor. He also described zeolitic crystals. He researched manganese nodules.
The Geological Society of London awarded Alphonse Renard the Bigsby Medal in 1885. This recognized his important work. In 1902, Renard married civilly.
Alphonse Renard died in Brussels in 1903. A street in Ixelles bears his name. The mineral renardite was named in his honor in 1928. Alphonse de Tombay created this statue in 1903. It originally stood in Square du Souvenir. In 1926, it was moved here. This was to make way for a war monument.
The statue’s inscription, “Veritas liberavit eum,” reflects Renard’s quest for truth. It also symbolizes the struggle between the Catholic and Liberal parties in Ixelles. So, remember Alphonse Renard. He was a man who followed his scientific passions. He embraced truth above all else. He left an indelible mark on the world of geology.