Mariensäule, Religious memorial column in Altstadt-Nord, Germany.
Mariensäule is a religious memorial featuring a tall central pillar crowned with a statue of the Virgin Mary. The base displays decorative ornamentation typical of 19th-century memorial design.
The column was designed by Vincenz Statz in the neo-Gothic style and completed in May 1858, after the foundation stone was laid on 2 June 1857 before 25,000 people. It was first placed on the central strip of Gereonstraße in front of the archbishop's palace; when the tram network was expanded, it was moved in 1901 to the Gereonsdriesch, where it stands today.
The column was conceived as a symbol of Catholic unity: the politician August Reichensperger called it a "Sinnbild der katholischen Einheit" at its 1858 inauguration, held during the 10th General Assembly of German Catholic Associations. Its neo-Gothic form, likened to "a piece of the cathedral", deliberately recalled the pre-Reformation Middle Ages.
The column stands on the south side of the Gereonsdriesch, a small park by the east choir of St. Gereon, where Christophstrasse meets Gereonstrasse. The park has been planted with a triple row of lime trees since the early 18th century. The column's original east face now points north, so walk round it to read the three heraldic reliefs.
The column's original east face now points north, because the monument was turned when it was moved in 1901 from the Gereonstraße median to the Gereonsdriesch. The surrounding square had belonged to the Gereonsstift and has been planted with a triple row of lime trees since the early 18th century.
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