Monumentul Sf. Maria și a Sf. Nepomuk

The Monument of St. Mary and St. Nepomuk stands in Liberty Square, Timișoara, as a Baroque sculpture from the eighteenth century. Created in Vienna in 1756, it brings religious art and the memory of a city struck by plague into one public landmark.

St John of Nepomuk and the Virgin Mary form the main group, with Mary holding lilies as a sign of purity. Saints Roch, Charles Borromeo and Sebastian stand behind them, each associated with protection from disease. The monument commemorates the plague epidemics of 1738 and 1739, when about 1,000 of Timișoara’s 6,000 residents died. It is one of two plague columns in the city, alongside the monument in Union Square.

Three sides of the pedestal show scenes from Nepomuk’s legend: the confession of the Queen of Bohemia, King Wenceslaus testing the seal of confession, and the saint’s martyrdom in Prague. Look closely at these carved episodes, where the monument’s ornate Baroque details preserve both a religious story and a record of public grief.