Vienna Plague Column

The Vienna Plague Column is a Trinity Column located on the Graben (a thoroughfare in central Vienna).It was constructed during the epidemic of 1679 and dedicated on October 29, 1693.The 21-meter-high baroque column is one of the city’s most well-known and eye-catching sculptural works of art.

One of the last large plague epidemics happened in Vienna in 1679.When fleeing the city, Emperor Leopold I swore to build a pillar of mercy after the plague pandemic was over.In the same year, the artist Johann Frühwirth (1640-1701) unveiled a temporary wooden column depicting a mercy seat on a Corinthian column and nine angel figurines (for the Nine Choirs of Angels).Mathias Rauchmiller, who died in 1686 and left behind some angel statues, was given the contract for the marble execution in 1683.This was followed by a slew of other proposals, notably those by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, from whom the pedestal figures program derives.Finally, project management was delegated to Paul Strudel, who worked from the program of theatrical engineer Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini.Burnacini envisioned a cloud pyramid underneath the Trinity, with angel figures and a figure of faith, in front of which a praying Emperor Leopold kneels.Tobias Kracker and Ignaz Bendl were among the sculptors participating.The column could then be dedicated in 1693.

Despite the protracted building time, revisions to the concept, and the large number of sculptors engaged, the monument has a consistent appearance.It evolved from a simple and conservative devotional column to a high-baroque staging in which an event is narrated theatrically throughout the preparation process.As a result, it signals the beginning of a new artistic period. The Viennese plague column was a stylistic icon that was copied across the kingdom.

During World War II, it was walled in to shield it from indirect harm.

During the Corona crisis, the Vienna Plague Column became a key interaction point in the city, where countless candles, children’s paintings, and prayer texts were placed out in the hope of a moderate pandemic conclusion.