Holy Trinity Column / Sloup Nejsvetejší Trojice (Olomouc, Czech Republic)
N 49° 35.635 E 017° 15.027
33U E 662630 N 5495914
The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is a magnificent Baroque monument, built in 1716–1754 in honour of God. The main purpose was a spectacular celebration of Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a plague...
Waymark Code: WM6HDZ
Location: Olomoucký kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 06/06/2009
Views: 202
The Holy Trinity Column (In Czech: Sloup Nejsvetejší Trojice) in Olomouc (Moravia, Czech Republic) is a magnificent Baroque monument in the Czech Republic, built in 1716–1754 in honour of God. The main purpose was a spectacular celebration of Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a plague, which struck Moravia (now in the Czech Republic) between 1714-1716. The column was also understood to be an expression of local patriotism, since all artists and master craftsmen working on this monument were Olomouc citizens, and almost all depicted saints were connected with the city of Olomouc in some way.
The Holy Trinity Column is a stunning hexagonal memorial column 35 m high and with a base diameter of 17 m, projected by Václav Render in the begin of the 18th century, and the best example of a type of monument that you can find only in Central Europe. It is in the "Olomouc Baroque" style and it’s decorated with relieves and 21 religious sculptures made by Ondrej Záhner. It has a circular base with seven steeps and eighteen guard stones with a forged chain. The first level has a small circular chapel, six conical balustrades, two putti, two vases, six pedestals decorated with scrolls and achantus and six statues of saints; it's decorated with pilasters, ribbon motifs, conches and relieves of apostles. The second and the third level are similar. The 10 m monolithic pillar is decorated with fluting and acanthus motifs and has the group of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with angels. On the top of the capital, decorated with the same motifs, is the group of God the Father, giving a blessing, and Christ with the cross placed on a globe with the Archangel Michael; there is also a star that symbolize the Holy Spirit.
The column is the most splendid example of a Baroque column construction craze all over Central Europe, which started out with Plague columns decorating many town centres in the 17th century and later turned to Trinity columns. It is the biggest Baroque sculptural group in the Czech Republic. In 2000 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "one of the most exceptional examples of the apogee of central European Baroque artistic expression".