The spiritual centre of Europe. The History of the Marian Column on Old Town Square in Prague 1650 - 2020

The main theme of the book is the historical events connected with the creation, existence, demolition and restoration of the Marian Column in Old Town Square in Prague. It was erected by Emperor Ferdinand III as a thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for the defence of Prague against the Swedes in 1648 and the end of the first pan-European war conflict. The authors see this Baroque monument not only as an extraordinary artistic and urbanistic work of Jan Jiří Bendel, but also as an important cultural symbol. Through it, they touch on a number of other topics, including contemporary disputes over the meaning and interpretation of Czech history, the role of Baroque art, the relationship between the state and the church, the Hussite and White Mountain myths, and religious disputes. The authors also shed light on the often-traditional myths related to the Marian Column. They also consider the question of its iconography to be important. The book includes an extensive pictorial appendix containing a number of previously unpublished photographs. In addition to the available literature, the authors have drawn on many archival sources, including the estate of the first chairman of the Society for the Restoration of the Marian Column on Old Town Square, the architect Pavel Nauman. The book was graphically edited by František Štorm. The foreword was written by Dominik Cardinal Duka, Archbishop of Prague and Primate of Bohemia. The foreword was written by the Vice-Rector of Charles University, Prof. Jan Royt.