Mariensäule (original) (raw)
Marian column in Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Mariensäule on Marienplatz.
Virgin Mary atop the Mariensäule.
Putto fighting a dragon.
The Mariensäule (lit. 'Mary's Column') is a Marian column located on the Marienplatz in Munich, Germany. Mary is revered here as Patrona Bavariae (Latin: Protector of Bavaria).
It was erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years' War, to be precise, following a respective vow by Duke Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria if the ducal residential cities of Munich and Landshut would be spared from war destruction. The column is topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon as the Queen of Heaven, created in 1590. The figure was originally located in the Frauenkirche. Mariensäule in Munich was the first column of this type built north of the Alps and inspired erecting other Marian columns in this part of Europe.[1]
At each corner of the column's pedestal is a statue of a putto, created by Ferdinand Murmann. The four putti are each depicted fighting a different beast, symbolizing the city's overcoming of adversities: war represented by the lion, pestilence by the cockatrice, hunger or famine by the dragon and heresy by the serpent.
The full inscription is as follows (with a translation)
| Latin | Translation |
|---|---|
| DEO OPTIMO MAXIMOVIRGINI DEIPARAEBOICAE DOMINAEBENIGNISSIMAEPROTECTRICIPOTENTISSIMAEOB PATRIAMVRBES EXERCITVSSEIPSVM DOMVMET SPES SVASSERVATASHOC PERENNEAD POSTEROSMONVMENTVMMAXIMILIANVSCOM. PAL. RHENIVTRIVSQVE BAVARIAE DVXS.R.I. ARCHIDAP.ET ELECTORCLIENTVM INFIMVSGRATVS SVPPLEXPOSUIT A. MDCXXXIIX | TO GOD THE BEST AND GREATESTAND TO THE VIRGIN, THE MOTHER OF GODMISTRESS OF BAVARIAMOST BENIGNPROTECTRESSMOST POWERFUL;BECAUSE THE HOMELANDCITIES, ARMIESHIS OWN HOUSEAND HIS HOPESWERE SAVEDTHIS LASTINGMEMORIALFOR THOSE TO COMEMAXIMILIANVS PALSGRAVE OF THE RHINERULER OF BOTH BAVARIASARCHSTEWARD OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIREAND ELECTORTHE WORST OF HER SERVANTSA GRATEFUL SUPPLICANTPUT UP IN THE YEAR 1638 |
- ^ For more and detailed pictures of the column see the respective German language article on wikipedia.de.
48°08′14″N 11°34′32″E / 48.1372°N 11.5755°E / 48.1372; 11.5755