Maria column in Bělá pod Bezdězem, Religious monument in Masarykovo náměstí, Bělá pod Bezdězem, Czech Republic.
The Maria column in Bělá pod Bezdězem stands in the park on Masaryk Square. Four stone steps, four since the 2012 park works, carry a square prism base with four inscription panels, then a smooth-shafted column with a pseudo-Corinthian capital. The Virgin Mary stands in contrapposto, hands clasped, her head framed by a gilded halo with stars.
The column was built in 1681 when Count Ernest of Wallenstein commissioned it as a memorial. It commemorates the town's survival of a devastating plague epidemic that had struck the region.
The column is a listed cultural monument of the Czech Republic. Its base carries four inscription panels; the front text dates from the 1931 repair by local sculptor Antonín Pokorný, paid for by archdeacon František Serafín Srch, while the rear panel is probably the original 1681 wording.
The monument is located in Masarykovo Square at the town center and is easily accessible on foot. Visitors can find it near the main bus station and other local facilities.
The original Baroque statue was removed in 2008 and placed in the vestibule of the Bělá town hall; the figure on the column today is a copy from the workshop of Tomáš Vondruška. The gilded halo around Mary's head is set with stars.
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