Pillar of the Plague, Memorial obelisk in Freedom Square, Brno, Czech Republic

The Pillar of the Plague is a white Baroque stone monument standing in Freedom Square in the heart of Brno. It rises through several stacked levels decorated with figural sculptures and is topped by a religious statue.

The column was built from 1679 to 1683 to commemorate the plague epidemic that struck Brno in 1679–1680. Masons from Jan Křtitel Erna's workshop laid the foundations in 1679, and the work was finished in autumn 1683. Static faults soon appeared, so repairs continued until 1689, including a new central column of Salzburg marble in 1686 and a new capital by the Italian Jakub Conenall in 1687–8.

The column is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and five plague saints; the four seated figures at the corners of the plinth are Saint Sebastian, Saint Roch, Saint Charles Borromeo and Saint Francis Xavier, carved in 1683 by Baltasar Frobel and Jan Kašpar Pröbstl. The Virgin and Child on top, now a copy, and the grotto figure of Saint Rosalie are by Ferdinand Pfaundler. The design follows the Marian column on Am Hof in Vienna.

The monument stands in the center of Freedom Square and can be approached freely from all sides. Coming on a weekday morning tends to mean fewer people around, making it easier to get a close look at the carved details.

The column's central shaft cracked soon after completion and was replaced in 1686 with Salzburg marble; the Italian Jakub Conenall carved a new capital in 1687–88. The gilded sunburst and rayed ornaments on the corners are later additions to the original design.