Marian column (Prague)


The Marian column of Prague is a religious monument consisting of a column topped with a statute of the Virgin Mary, located in the city's Old Town Square. The column was erected in 1650, shortly after the conclusion of the Thirty Years' War. It was demolished in November 1918, coinciding with the fall of Austria-Hungary. In 2020, the column was reconstructed, with planned completion on 15 August 2020.

History

Prague's Marian column was built in the Old Town Square in 1650 as a thanks for the city's role in the Battle of Prague in 1648, which resulted in a Bohemian victory over the Swedish Empire. The column was sculpted by Johann Georg Bendl. It was the fourth oldest Marian column in Europe, older were only in Rome, Munich and Vienna.
The column was almost 16 meters high and bore a two-meter gilded statue of the Virgin Mary. At the base of the column was a hollow space that served as a chapel. Inside was placed a Gothic panel with image of Panna Maria Rynecká, dating from the beginning of the 15th century. The people of Prague used to pray in front of it. In the corners of the column stood four statues of angels symbolizing the four cardinal virtues fighting the forces of evil. The first angel struck down with spear the devil and represented wisdom, the second defeated the lion with two-handed sword and represented righteousness, the third fought the dragon and showed bravery, and the fourth angel defeated the devil with the cross and expressed gentleness.
During the Prussian siege in 1757, the southwest corner sculpture was damaged by a cannonball during the shelling of Prague. It was not until 1858 that it was replaced by a copy from the Prague sculptor Josef Böhm.

Destruction

In 1915, the Jan Hus Memorial, sculpted by Ladislav Šaloun, was erected in the square. Hus was the founder of the Hussites, a pre-Protestant religious reform movement, who was executed by the Catholic Church for heresy. The construction of this memorial was considered to show the shifting attitudes of Prague, which increasing shifted away from the Catholic Church.
In autumn of 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire began its dissolution. In this context, on 3 November 1918, the column, considered a symbol of the monarchy and Catholicism, was torn down.
The Czech official press accepted the demolition of the column with understanding, but most of the important political figures of the First Republic did not publicly support the destruction of the column, although understanding was expressed in privacy. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who learned about the demolition of the column in England, stated that "when the people of Prague removed the statue, I am glad because the statue was a political disgrace for us".
The remaining parts of the column were removed on the night of 18.-19. December 1918 and taken to the courtyard of the Church of St. Anna in the Old Town. Fragments of the statue of the Virgin Mary, four sculptures with angels and stone railings were stored in the Prague Lapidarium at Výstaviště Praha. The broken head of the Virgin Mary was found in 1957 in an antique shop on Národní třída. From there it was bought by the National Museum and also placed in the lapidarium. Another Bendl's almost identical statues of the Virgin Mary from 1673 is located on the Marian Column in Louny.

Disputes and preparation

In 1990 was founded a private association for restoring of Marian column in Prague. Beginning in 1995, a group of Czech artists, started to work on restoring of the Marian column. In 2000, Petr Váňa was asked to sculpt a replica of the head of statue of the Virgin Mary, this part of the work was completed in 2002 and installed to the southern yard of the Church of Our Lady before Týn in Prague. Petr Vána with his brother and one assistant continued in next work: they brought a sandstone column from India and cut other parts of group.
The reconstruction of the column was rejected several times, most recently in September 2017, according to representatives, it divides the people of Prague, instead of reconciling them. Opponents see it as a symbol of post-White Mountain Habsburg oppression. According to Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, it is "the promotion of one idea at the expense of another, so from the principle cannot be taken in this context as a symbol of reconciliation within the framework of ecumenical agreement". According to the mayor, the column symbolizes the defeat of the idea of tolerance, which is still relevant.
Before the expiry of the building permit on 29 May 2019, the contractor tried to start the construction by uncovering the foundations of the original column. However, he did not have permission to occupy the space needed for the arrival of construction equipment. This place was then barred by a city police van and contractor then had to return the site to the previous state. A few days later, a memorandum was published by 26 Czech art historians to not allow the city authorities to renew the column.
In January 2020, however, the reconstruction of the column was approved by the Prague City Council.

Reconstruction

Work on its re-erection started on 15 February 2020, and major works have been completed on 4 June 2020. Completion is planned on 15 August 2020. Upon completion, the column will become the property of the city.
The purpose of the reconstruction was to make the most faithful form of the original statue of the Virgin Mary. A copy was created from the preserved torso of the original, the missing left part of the statue with folded hands was reconstructed according to the statue on the square in Louny and the photos. A sandstone called Božanovský from Teplice nad Metují was chosen for the copy, the shaft with the Corinthian head was made of sandstone originating in India. The pedestal is made of Pietra Dorata sandstone from Siena and was dedicated from the Italian town Vitorchiano. The sanctuary is made of Mrákotín Granite. The four pedestals for the statues of angels were dedicated by the four orders: the Knights of Malta, the Teutonic Order, the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star and the Order of Saint Lazarus. However, it is not yet clear whether the statues of angels will be installed, in 2017 there was information that the creators will complete them later. The remaining architecture was reconstructed according to the preserved parts.