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Plague Column of Virgin Mary

Ferdinand Brokoff
1724/28

Description

Column with a statue of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on top. Around the base nine statues of saints:

Upper level, the patron saints of the cathedral:

(click on the photo for an enlargement in a separate window.)

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Sv. Václav
St. Wenceslas

Sv. Vít
St. Vitus

Sv. Vojtĕch
St. Adalbert

Sv. Václav / St. Wenceslas, in armour
(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).
Sv. Vít / St. Vitus, with his foot on a head.
from Sicily, died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Wikipedia).
Sv. Vojtĕch / St. Adalbert, as a bishop with his staff and rudder.
(c. 956 - 997), bishop of Prague and a missionary, was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians. Patron saint of Bohemia, Poland, Hungary and Prussia (Wikipedia).

Lower level:

(click on the photo for an enlargement in a separate window.)

Sv. Jan Nepomucký
St. John of Nepomuk

Sv. Alžbĕta Durynská
St. Elisabeth of Thuringia

Sv. Petr
St. Peter

Sv. Florian
St. Florian

Sv. Pavel
St. Paul

Sv. Karel Boromejský
St. Charles Borromeo

Sv. Jan Nepomucký / St. John of Nepomuk, sitting, with an angel holding the crucifix. Under him the coats of arms of Prague.
(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)
Sv. Alžbĕta Durynská / St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, giving bread to a beggar.
(Bratislava 1207 - Marburg 1231), princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia; built a hospital where she herself served the sick; symbol of Christian charity (Wikipedia).
Sv. Petr / St. Peter, sitting, with a book on his lap.
(possibly died AD 67), apostle, first pope; patron saint of locksmiths and confessors. Usually holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven in his hand (Wikipedia)
Sv. Florian / St. Florian, pouring water from a pitcher over a fire.
(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).
Sv. Pavel / St. Paul, sitting, with a book on his lap.
the Apostle, (c. 5 - c. 67 ), persecuted the early followers of Jesus before switching sides and seeking to join them. He was instrumental in creating the Christian Church. He is the protector of tent-makers, theologians and the ecclesiastical press and is depicted with a sword. (Wikipedia).
Sv. Karel Boromejský / St. Charles Borromeo.
(Italian: Carlo Borromeo) (1538 - 1584), cardinal, worked during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church (Wikipedia).

Inscription(s)

Signed: brokof

Annotation

Built by Hradčany Town Hall to thank for the end of plague epidemy which was troubling Prague towns in 1713-14. The construction started in 1726 but due to a lack of finances the column was not consecrated until ten years later. The column as such was made by a stonemason J. O. Manes, sculptural decorations (the statue of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on the top and statues of the saints on the railings and the side pillars) were made by F. M. Brokof in 1724-28; after his death the statues were completed by F. I. Weiss. The central statue was replaced by a copy in 1894, the original is stored in the Lapidarium of the National Museum

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)

Sculptor

Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff (Červený Hrádek near Chomutov 1688 - Praha 1731), Czech sculptor and carver of the Baroque era; second son of Jan Brokoff, brother of Michael Brokoff (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Královská cesta, Prague Castle.
Saxa Loquuntur, Sv. Jan Nepomucký: Svatojánské sochy v ceských a moravských krajských mestech.

Locatie (N 50°5'22" - E 14°23'47") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: czpr043; Photograph: 18 February 2011
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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