Maria column in Rakovník, Marian column on Husovo náměstí in Rakovník, Czech Republic

The Maria column in Rakovník stands in the eastern part of Husovo náměstí. The 12-metre Baroque column is made of Novohrad sandstone: a central pillar with four pilasters on a three-metre pedestal, whose volute consoles carry larger-than-life statues of St Wenceslas, St Vitus, St Procopius and St Adalbert. Stylised clouds with cherub heads lead to a square capital bearing the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child.

The column was erected in 1749 by stonemason Kryštof Knopf to a drawing by Václav Ettl. Unlike most Marian columns in Bohemia, it was not a plague memorial: it served pilgrims passing through the Rakovník region on their way to Svatá Hora near Příbram. In 1829 a falling statue killed a child, after which the four saint figures were moved higher and the surrounding stone balustrade replaced by posts joined with chains.

The column was not built as a plague memorial but as a waypoint for pilgrims travelling through the Rakovník region to Svatá Hora near Příbram. Its pedestal carries the town coat of arms above an iron-doored box and three Latin inscriptions asking the Virgin Mary to obtain peace for Rakovník.

The monument is located on the central Husovo náměstí in the heart of Rakovník and is easily accessible on foot. It can be viewed at any time since it stands in a public outdoor space accessible to all.

In 1829 a local woman, Kalíková, knocked one of the four saint statues off the balustrade while trying to get a better view of a condemned man led to execution; it fell on her own child standing below and killed it. The statues were then moved up onto the consoles and the railing replaced by posts joined with chains.