The Marian Column Monument "Queen of the Mountains" stands at an altitude of 1,140 m above sea level, just a few dozen meters from the chapel of St. Francis above Erlebachova Bouda in the Krkonoše National Park. Visitors can admire not only the panorama of Sněžka and Malý Stav on their way through the mountains, but also the extraordinary sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, which symbolically grows from the "Tree of Life".
A unique combination of craft, faith and landscape
The sculpture was installed on top of a tall stainless steel column, which is firmly anchored to a massive granite boulder found during the flood in 2023 right next to Erlebachova bouda. The natural stone thus became an integral part of the monument, connecting the story of the Krkonoše Mountains with the spiritual meaning of the column.
Symbolism of the work - prayer in 24 languages
The shaft of the column consists of 24 stainless steel plates, into which are carved prayer texts in 24 world languages - from biblical and European, through African to Asian, including Romani. The symbolism of the work is clear: "The whole world prays."
The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary - the throne of Divine Wisdom , who represents the Church. Her face is calm, dignified with a gentle smile, which, according to the authors, expresses the victory of good. The central figure is the Christ child , with a wound in his side and outstretched arms symbolizing the cross - a gesture with which he embraces the whole world.
Four sculptural groups or like the "four gospels"
A total of four identical sculptures have been created, differing only in the small detail of the word "amen". They symbolically refer to the four gospels.
- Krkonoše_Erlebachova bouda
- Nazareth (Israel)
- Maribor (Slovenia)
- Syria
Technical processing and craftsmanship detail
The author of the technical documentation is Tomáš Ponc , the stainless steel column was manufactured by the České Budějovice company JihoTech , and the statue itself was cast by the Jiří Sovinec foundry . More than a hundred people worked on the project, who spent two years of development and preparation to give the work exceptional quality. Twelve fragments were cast from special stainless steel melted at 1,670 ºC and then welded onto the column.
The entire work was created under the auspices of the Bishop of Hradec Králové, Jan Vokál .
Documentary film with cultural overlap
The creation of the Marian Column "Queen of the Mountains" was documented by a film crew directed by Filip Renč . The project is also accompanied by music by composer Jíří Pavlica , who created the theme song of a new symphony inspired by the prayer from the column for this occasion.
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