Zprávy památkové péče 2015, 75(3):261-264

Memorandum on the restoration of the Marian Column on the Old Town Square in Prague

Pavel Kalina

The Prague Marian Column must be seen in its global context. The oldest pillar bearing the statue of the Virgin Mary was the Colonna della Pace at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, erected by Carlo Maderno for Pope Paul V in 1614. After several decades, the Roman model became popular in Central Europe. In Munich, Elector Maximilian had a Marian Column built in 1637 to 1638. After the Battle of Jankov (1645), the Swedish army even threatened Vienna. Emperor Ferdinand III then decided to dedicate the entire country to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and promised to build a column modeled after Munich in Vienna in her honor. The Prague Marian Column, also ordered by the Emperor after the Thirty Years War and the aversion of the Swedish threat, therefore represents a link in the chain of monuments which crossed the Danube and the Alps. An interpretation of the column would be inadequate in mechanically applying the concept of the Counter-Reformation - the Swedish invasion of Central Europe was not carried out only with religious motives. In the Czech environment, a "materialistic" approach to heritage preservation is strongly applied, one which a priori disqualifies the reconstruction or replica of historic structures. Initial objections to reconstructions were already formulated in the 19th century in response to the romantic "modifications" of, for example, medieval castles. The reconstruction of historic buildings, however, are quite common (the Munich Residence, badly damaged by bombing in 1944, and of course other monuments damaged during the Second World War: not only the Frauenkirche in Dresden, but also the Zwinger, the Semper Opera, and Dresden Castle). Contemporary examples of restorations may also be found, however (Venice's Fenice theater, rebuilt by Aldo Rossi after a fire in 1996). The problem may also be that a long time has passed since the demolition of the column. In Moscow, however, not only was the media-famous Church of the Savior rebuilt after having been torn down in 1931, but also were a number of other buildings destroyed during the rule of the Bolsheviks. Also, Seoul's Gyeongbokgung, the palace complex destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945), has been gradually restored for many years. Therefore there is no reason why the Marian Column, as a site of collective memory, should not be replicated in the Old Town Square.

Keywords: Prague, the Virgin Mary, Old Town Square, Marian Column, Baroque

Published: September 1, 2015  Show citation