Marian plague column in Hradčany, Baroque memorial column in Hradčany, Czech Republic.

The Marian plague column stands in the middle of Hradčany Square in Prague, on the spot where open-air services were held during the great plague of 1713–1714. A sandstone statue of the Immaculate Virgin, 206 cm tall, tops the column, and statues of saints ring the base and the obelisk pillars.

Emperor Charles VI approved the column in 1725, and the foundation stone was laid a year later. Hradčany lacked funds, so it was completed and consecrated only in 1736. Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff made the statue of the Immaculate Virgin and the saints between 1724 and 1728; after his death his pupil František Ignác Weiss finished the work.

Saint Adalbert holds both his bishop's crozier and an oar, the instrument of his martyrdom according to legend. Stories claim a Prague paddling club placed the oar in his hand during the 1955 or 1960 Spartakiad, though a 1940 photograph by Karel Plicka already shows it.

The column sits centrally on a plaza in Hradčany and is easy to access by following the main streets through the historic area. Plenty of space surrounds the monument, allowing views from different angles and nearby are numerous other historical sites worth exploring.

Saint Adalbert holds both his bishop's crozier and an oar, the weapon by which, according to legend, he was killed. Stories claim a Prague rowing club placed a paddle in his hand during the 1955 or 1960 Spartakiad, but a 1940 photograph by Karel Plicka already shows the oar.