Description of the attraction
St. Anne's Column is located in the very center of the main street of Innsbruck - Maria Theresa Street. It was erected in 1706 in memory of the liberation of Tyrol from the Bavarian troops, which happened just on July 26, 1703 - on the day of St. Anne.
The death of the last Spanish king from the Habsburg dynasty in 1701 involved almost all of Europe in a protracted war, called the War of the Spanish Succession. The Holy Roman Empire and the neighboring Bavarian Electorship found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades, and Bavaria launched an offensive. The Bavarian Elector captured Innsbruck on June 22, 1703, but a month later an order was received to leave Tyrol, and this area was liberated and spared further bloodshed. Already in 1704, at the regional council, it was decided to erect a monument in memory of this event.
The column itself, completed in 1706, is 13 meters high and topped with a sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And at its foot there are 4 smaller statues depicting other saints, including St. Anna. On the south side is Saint George, the dragon slayer, who is the patron saint of Tyrol. The author of the construction was the Italian architect Cristoforo Benedetti, and the sculptures themselves are made of expensive local marble.
Of particular interest is the image of the Virgin Mary crowning the column. She is depicted in the form of the so-called Wife Clothed in the Sun, who is a character in the Revelation of John the Theologian, which tells about the End of the World (Apocalypse). This image has a certain meaning - it symbolizes the persecution of Christianity.
It is worth noting that all four sculptures at the foot of the column, as well as the statue of the Virgin Mary itself, are currently copies made in the 20th and 21st centuries. The originals are kept in the Old Landhaus, located on the same street, and in the Georgenberg monastery, 25 kilometers east of Innsbruck.
