Moudon - Saint-Étienne

Moudon, today a town with a population of about 6000, was called Minnodunum. In Roman times. Moudon was under the influence of the Savoy already in the early 13th century and became an important Savoyard base in Waadt / Vaud. Around 1260, under Peter of Savoy, it became the residence of the Savoy bailiff in Vaud. The importance of Moudon increased rapidly. The town area expanded and was surrounded by new walls. In 1285, Moudon was granted town privileges. Especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, the town flourished as an administrative center and of the Vaudois estates. With the conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536, Moudon came under Bernese rule. The Reformation was introduced.

The church was first mentioned in 1134, even though it may have been built earlier. It was situated outside the medieval village. The church was nicknamed "the cathedral of Broye", a region around the Broye River, by the residents of Moudon. After a bell tower was added in 1420, the church was enlarged and renovated between 1495 and 1499, then again between 1499 and 1502. Paintings were added to the vaults between 1506 and 1511. After the conquest by the canton of Bern in 1536, the side altars and the statues of the church were destroyed and the building became a Reformed temple.

There are some very imaginative misericords in the choir stalls. An elephant!

What is certain is that there was an elephant in Switzerland around 1650, but I think that this misericord is older. The anatomical correctness is surprising.

It could be "Hanno", the Indian elephant given to Pope Leo X by King Emmanuel I of Portugal. Hanno came to Rome in 1514 and only survived there for two years. There are numerous drawings and woodcuts by Hanno that have been circulated throughout Europe.

Historically younger is "Soleiman", also an Indian elephant, which was a gift from the daughter of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal to Maximilian, the Emperor's nephew and later Emperor Maximilian II. Accompanied by Maximilian and a sizeable entourage, Soleiman crossed the Hispanic peninsula to Barcelona, from where he was embarked for Genoa. On November 12, 1551, Soliman reached Genoa. On land, the route continued north. In December the procession reached Trento through the Adige Valley. The procession followed the route over the Brenner Pass from Trento. At the end of February the convoy reached Passau and on March 6, 1552 Soliman arrived in Vienna. Barely a year and a half after his arrival in Vienna, on December 18, 1553, Soleiman died.