Historical landmarkSt. Louis · US
Apotheosis of St. Louis
Towering over Art Hill in Forest Park, the Apotheosis of St. Louis is a monumental bronze equestrian statue of King Louis IX of France, the 13th-century saint for whom the city is named. Cast in 1906 from a design created for the 1904 World's Fair, it served as St. Louis's defining civic symbol for nearly six decades before the Gateway Arch took over. Today the statue stands as both a beloved landmark and a masterwork of American public sculpture, perched on a granite pedestal directly in front of the St. Louis Art Museum — a setting that makes it one of Forest Park's most photographed and recognizable sights.