"On the side of the church there is a column erected in 1682 to commemorate the Habsburg victory against the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Saint Gotthard. The column, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was designed by the Salzburg-based artist Wolf Weisskirchner upon the plan by Johann Weikhard von Valvasor."
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Translated from Slovenian (google) -
"Mary's column, which is located on the Levstik market, to the south of St. Jacob's church is one of the oldest Ljubljana's public monuments. It was built in the 17th century and clearly reflects the then ideological and political situation.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, in Central Europe, widespread installation of commemorative pillars related countered "Turkish danger" and fever. On 8 December 1664 the provincial estates at the request of Emperor Leopold I and in gratitude to God and the Mother of God for the victory in the battle of Szentgotthárd pledged to annually celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and to Mary in honor of the monument was erected. Vows are realized only in 1679, when the plague in Vienna killed tens of thousands of residents and the following year was extended to Styria. 27 March 1682 are raised on pillars statue of Mary, designed by Janez Vajkard Valvasor. Mary's column, which was erected before the entrance to St James's Church and the Jesuit college, the composition of the statue, situated on top of a tapered base on Corinthian pillars, carved out of marble. On each of the four corners was built carved statue of a saint. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is the pillar of every year came a procession from the cathedral, in front of Mary and are intended for the locals to gather at other major events. In 1683, for example, in gratitude for a successful defense against the Ottoman siege of Vienna there passed solemn devotion. Mary is then symbolized loyalty to the Habsburg dynasty and Kranj patriotism, which is expressed as a thank Mary Immaculate for their averting from the Ottoman homeland. Mary and the associated cult of Mary represented the interpretation of historical events, which the Habsburg dynasty to legitimize its mission. In addition to the messages of the Habsburg combat "Turkish threat" Mary was a monument of universal triumph of the Catholic pravoverstva false religion - Protestantism.
In the 18th century the citizens of Ljubljana already partially suspend the implementation of Marian devotion. Mary's column was then damaged and worn out, but the repair in question. In 1840 he therefore supported with wooden logs. Due to the poor appearance of the city authorities in the face of the imminent arrival of the Emperor and Empress and crafts exhibition decided to remove the monument. This happened in 1844, a bronze statue of Mary are saved in the St. Jacob's church. After 1848, the Habsburg elite with the support of the Catholic Church re-introduced the worship of Mary, as it then seemed that the national question dividing the peoples of Austria, but it later turned out that the intercession of Mary, which was once the only ethnically diverse population of the empire, this more they could not. In 1870, the monument, however, renewed and discover exceptionally low turnout of citizens.
In 1918, the Municipal Council of Ljubljana took a monument in their care and twenty years later, the city council decided to build a new, developed according to plan architect. Restored monument was erected on 2 July 1938 and in the same image still exists today. After Plecnik's ideas have preserved capitals bronze statue of Mary and figures of saints, they mount a new column, the whole being a height of sixteen meters. The renovation of the statue is a monument to give a new look and a new memory contents. The original four statues of saints is unknown where stranded because their set did not meet the political circumstances "national alarm" and not the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy, since these saints too resembled the Habsburg legacy. Sv. Joseph was in fact the patron saint of all hereditary lands that bordered on the Ottoman Empire, St. Leopold was the emperor's patron saint. As a result, they introduced the new saints, who have become more acceptable to the citizens: St. Nicholas, St. Jacob St. Peter and Janez Baptist. Eventually, Marian devotions became totally unwanted and abandoned them, Mary pillar and its content have moved in oblivion."
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