Marian Column

Marian Column on Peace Square is the oldest preserved Baroque monument in Louny. It dates back to 1673. The column was designed by the prominent Baroque sculptor Jan Jiří Bendl.

The oldest preserved Baroque monument in Louny dates from 1673. The author of the plague column is the most important early Baroque sculptor working in Bohemia, Jan Jiří Bendl. The column was originally probably located in the Prague suburbs, but during the plague that hit Louny in 1714, it was already standing on the square. The Latin chronogram reads as follows: Mother of God, be the protector of your Louny. The statue was gilded in 1829 by potter Mikuláš Rudl. After the establishment of the republic, local radicals sought to remove the alleged symbol of darkness from the square, and for some time even underground public toilets operated near the statue. On the Marian Column there is a statue of the Virgin Mary, depicted as a bald girl with her hands on her chest, standing on a snake as a symbol of sin. The oldest preserved Baroque monument in Louny dates back to 1673. The author of the plague column is Jan Jiří Bendl, the most significant early Baroque sculptor in Bohemia. The column probably originated at Louny´s Pražské (Prague) suburb, but in the plague that hit Louny in 1714, it was already in the square. The Latin chronograph reads as follows: Mother of God, or the protector of your Louny town. The sculpture was decorated in 1829 by the potter Mikuláš Rudl. After the establishment of the Republic, local radicals sought to remove the alleged symbol of darkness from the square and for some time even underground public toilets functioned near the statue.