Description
Corinthian column surmounted by a golden statue of
(click on the photo for an enlargement.)
1
- Saint Mary with a lily (Immaculate), standing on a sphere crushing the serpent.
The column stands on a large square base with eight saint's statues:
Four statues are on the corners of the base:
(click on the photo for an enlargement in a separate window.)
- Svatý Florian / Saint Florian, Roman soldier with flag and throwing water from a bucket on a burning house (with his left hand).
(d. c. 304), commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum, responsible for organizing firefighting brigades. Martyred because is did not want to sacrifice to Roman gods. He is usually depicted as a Roman officer pouring water from a pitcher over a fire
(Wikipedia).
- Svatý Václav / Saint Wenceslaus, a king with a scroll.
(c. 907 - 935), duke of Bohemia, raised as Christian by his grandmother, Saint Ludmila. He was murdered in 935 on his way to church. Patron saint of the Czech people and the Czech Republic
(Wikipedia).
- Svatý Jan Nepomucký / Saint John of Nepomuk, with crucifix and palm branch.
(Nepomuk c. 1345 - Praha 1393), confessor of the queen of Bohemia, refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. At the behest of King Wenceslaus of Bohemia he was thrown from the Charles Bridge in Prague and drowned. John of Nepomuk is patron saint of bridges (Wikipedia)
- Svatý Vavřinec / Saint Lawrence, holding a gridiron, a book and a palm branch.
(c. 225 - 258), one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian. Usually holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic
(Wikipedia).
Four are placed in niches on the faces:
(click on the photo for an enlargement in a separate window.)
- Svatý Antonín z Padovy / Saint Anthony of Padua, with a lily and the Child Jesus on a book.
born Fernando Martins de Bulhões, (Lisbon c. 1195 - Padua 1231), priest and friar of the Franciscan Order, known for his preaching and expert knowledge of scripture
(Wikipedia).
- Svatý Sv. Felix z Cantalice / Saint Felix of Cantalica, with a bag and accompanied by a boy offering a jar.
sixteenth century Italian Capuchin lay brother, spent 38 years aiding the sick and the poor in Rome; canonized in 1712
(Wikipedia).
- Svatá Anna / Saint Anna, teachting Saint Mary to read.
mother of the Virgin Mary. She is often depicted with Mary as a child or a young girl
(Wikipedia).
- Svatý Roch / Saint Roch, in pilgrim's outfit with staff and dog, and showing his tigh.
(14th century),
saint from Montpellier, he is specially invoked against the plague.
(Wikipedia).
The base of the round column is square and shows four shields and coats of arms:
10 |
12 |
- The coat of arms of Žamberk (eagle and boar) under a baron's crown.
- Shield with chronogram in Czech: "KraLoV.. | VseCk sVaM.. | prosIz za zI...sI | Mesto V neb.. at | prospIVa staLeV | .a..Ipok..I" (?)
- Double coat of arms
- Shield with text: "Opraveno | a obnoveno | od dobredincu | roku 1885 a | 1886"
Annotation
The Marian Plague column dates from the early 18th century and was built in gratitude for warding off the plague.
Marian, Holy Trinity and Plague Columns (Mariensäule, Dreifaltigkeitssäule, Pestsäule)
Marian and Holy Trinity columns are religious monuments with a statue of Saint Mary or a depiction of the Holy Trinity on top of a column. Around the base of the column are usually various saints. Marian columns were built to thank the Virgin Mary for intervention to quell the pestilence and other scourges. The first of those was erecrted in Vienna in 1667 (Mariensäule) and the second in 1679 also in Vienna at the Graben, the Pestsäule.
The purpose of the Holy Trinity columns was usually simply to celebrate the church and the faith, although the plague motif could play a role.
Erecting religious monuments in the form of a column surmounted by a figure or a Christian symbol was a gesture of public faith that flourished in the Catholic countries of Europe especially in the 17th and 18th centuries
(Wikipedia)
Tags
Locatie (N 50°5'14" - E 16°27'53") (Satellite view: Google Maps)
Item Code: czpa002; Photograph: 3 September 2012
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt
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