Maria column, Religious monument in Old Town Square, Czech Republic
Maria column is a religious monument standing in Prague's Old Town Square, featuring a statue of the Virgin Mary with a gilded star halo at its top. The structure rises prominently from the center of the square and serves as a focal point in the historic area.
An original column from 1650 was torn down in 1918 during nationalist movements that swept through the city. Sculptor Petr Váňa recreated it with precision, completing the reconstruction in 2020.
The column represents both religious devotion and architectural heritage, featuring a praying Virgin Mary Imaculata figure with a gilded star halo standing upon a dragon.
The monument functions as a working sundial, with stone markers on the pavement beneath it indicating the meridian for timekeeping. Visitors can observe these ground markers to understand how the structure traditionally measured time.
This Marian Column holds the distinction of being Europe's third oldest of its kind, following similar monuments in Munich and Vienna.
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