Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice Column

The Column of the Holy Trinity in Olomouc was built between 1716 and 1754. It was erected to the glory of God and was meant to splendidly celebrate the Catholic Church and faith. Gratitude for the end of the plague, which ravaged Moravia between 1714 and 1716, also played a role. It measures 32 meters and is the highest sculptural group in the Czech Republic, and it also contains a small chapel. Since 1995, together with the Marian Column and Baroque fountains, it has been a national cultural monument. In 2000, as one of the pinnacle works of Central European Baroque, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Plague columns spread mainly after the Council of Trent. Their model was the column in Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome from 1614. In Olomouc, they originally planned only the Marian Column on Lower Square. Its builder, the master mason Václav Render, thought it was not grand enough. That is why he persuaded the city council to build a much more magnificent column on the neighboring Upper Square. He worked out the project himself and helped finance it.

The column did not bring much luck to its creators. Render died after completing the first level and according to his will, all his property went to the construction. Neither his successors František Thonecker, Jan Václav Rokický, and Augustin Scholtz lived to see its completion. The construction was finally finished by Rokický's son, Jan Ignác. The sculptural decoration was begun by Filip Sattler. After him, Ondřej Zahner continued, and over seven years he created 18 statues and 9 reliefs. The goldsmith Šimon Forstner completed his gilded copper sculptures. However, his work with toxic mercury compounds completely undermined his health.

All the artists and craftsmen were Olomouc citizens, and so the column became a source of great pride for the city. It was consecrated on September 9, 1754, in the presence of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Francis Stephen of Lorraine. Four years later, during the Prussian siege, the column was hit by cannonballs several times. The townspeople then set out in procession to General James Keith and asked him not to shoot at the column. The general agreed. After the war, the column was repaired and imitation cannonballs were embedded in its shaft.

The top is dominated by gilded statues of the Holy Trinity with the Archangel Michael, and below them the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The three-tiered base is surrounded by 18 statues of saints and 14 reliefs. The highest level belongs to saints connected with the earthly life of Jesus: Saint Anne, Saint Joachim, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Baptist. They are accompanied by Saint Lawrence and Saint Jerome, patrons of the town hall chapel. The level below is dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who came in 863 to spread Christianity to Great Moravia.