The Virgin Mary from Exile – a gift from Czech compatriots – has been looking down on Prague for 25 years
It was erected in 1652 as a reminder of the successful defense of Prague against the Swedes. The statue, this author was Jan Jiří Bendl, but tore down the enraged crowd on November 3, 1918, who saw the pillar as a symbol of the overthrown Habsburg regime.
Compatriots in America decided to fix this, said Michael Josef Pojezdný, abbot of the Strahov Monastery, emeritus.
“When they had to leave the republic in 1948 because of the Communists, they wanted to maintain a bond with their homeland. So they decided to buy a statue of the Virgin Mary in America to remind them of the statue that was torn down in the Old Town Square made by the Italian sculptor Alessandro Monteleone, it is not a faithful copy of the statue that stood in the Old Town Square, nor was it possible to do so. built in the Czech Benedictine abbey of Lisle near Chicago, where compatriots met and prayed that, as the Virgin Mary, she would protect Prague from the Swedes and the Czech Republic from the Communists in 1648. They decided that when the republic became free again, it would come to Prague. “
Originally, they thought that the statue would stand in the Old Town Square, but it did not work. Therefore, they turned to Abbot Pojezdný to see if he could stand in the garden above Prague. He agreed, and on May 7, 25 years ago, the statue was installed.
A copy of the original statue stands at the Týn Church
Every first Saturday of the month, after the evening Mass, pilgrimages from the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary take place. Every year, the Marian walking pilgrimage through Prague also begins here on the first Saturday in May. Are the names of compatriots who deserved the statue known?
“It’s been a long time. I’d like to remind Dr. Emil Petrik and Dr. Vostrez. Everyone else remembers me.”
What did it look like 25 years ago when the statue was installed here?
“It was a beautiful celebration. There was a Mass in our courtyard in Strahov near the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Many people from Moravia came from all corners of the republic. Cardinal Vlk had a Holy Mass. . ” . “
What is the statue made of, and how much does it resemble the original one?
“It is made of Carrara marble. Its appearance can be found by people looking at our statue in the Strahov Garden and a faithful copy of the statue of the Virgin Mary from the Old Town Square, which now stands by the Týn Church.”
Has at least some part of the original statue been preserved?
“Some parts have been preserved. A copy of the original statue, which now stands at the Týn Church, was made by the excellent sculptor Petr Váňa. He searched for all the pieces of the original statue, some of which are in the Lapidary. Váňa, is a faithful copy of the statue made by Jan Jiří Bendl. “
The original statue stood at a height of almost 14 meters and the shadow on the Old Town Square also served as an indicator of time. He showed the so-called Prague meridian.
“The church bore the overthrow of the statue painfully. I think that’s what every cultural person must feel, because it was a beautiful baroque statue, and when art is destroyed, it’s always bad. The Virgin Mary has a special respect in our church, we pray Marian prayers so we carried it especially hard. “
The Marian Column also included a rare painting from the 14th century. It is spoken of as the second palladium of the Czech lands. What’s wrong with him?
“She was the Virgin Mary of the Rhine. She is also in the Church of the Virgin Mary in front of Týn, where there is a faithful copy of the statue. The author is unknown, it is a Gothic painting.”
Praguers also prayed for this image during the siege of Prague. It was originally owned by the Misseroni family, which grinded precious stones. Dionysus Miseroni was the administrator of the castle’s collections at the time, and his family owned a house in the Old Town Square.