Hendrik Conscience

In an ornate architectural setting, once the entrance to the City Library, writer Hendrik Conscience sits frozen in time. He is depicted as an elderly man in modern clothing, seated on a chair with his left arm resting on the backrest and a quill in his right hand. 

Hendrik Conscience, born in Antwerp in 1812, rose through talent and ambition to become a renowned Flemish popular author. He is often described as “the man who taught his people to read.” 

A competition was held for the creation of the monument. The entries were displayed at City Hall, where sculptor Frans Joris’s design was chosen as the winner. Conscience himself served as the model for the statue. 

The monument was unveiled on 13 August 1883 during a grand celebration marking the publication of Conscience’s hundredth book. Remarkably, the inauguration took place while the author was still alive, albeit lying in his sickbed. This broke the unwritten rule of not erecting statues of living people. Less than a month later, Conscience passed away. Shortly after the unveiling, the square was also renamed after the famed writer.  

Frans Joris (1851–1914) was a Belgian sculptor known for his numerous monuments and portrait busts. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he became a professor in 1883.