Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Marian column Queen of the Mountains will be unveiled in the Krkonoše Mountains near Erlebachova bouda on August 15. The author of the sculpture group that will be on the column is Otmar Oliva in collaboration with Radim Hank. The work was created for several years under the auspices of Hradec Králové Bishop Jan Vokál, Pavel J. Sršeň, spokesman for the Hradec Králové diocese, told ČTK today. The concept of the project, which is behind the owners of Erlebachova bouda, the Tomáškova family, is inspired by the book "Introduction to Christianity" by Joseph Ratzinger , Pope Benedict XVI. The idea of the Marian column was also supported by the Krkonoše National Park Administration ( KRNAP ).

The stainless steel column has already been erected, and a sculpture group consisting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ is waiting to be placed on top of the column. The Marian column is being completed by builders at an altitude of 1,140 meters near the chapel of St. Francis from 2007.

"The statue was made by the Jiří Sovinec foundry. The stainless steel column is the work of the České Budějovice engineering company JihoTech according to the technical documentation of the column's co-author, Tomáš Ponce, who spent almost two years preparing the materials. The design evolved and there were many versions. The column depicts a conversation between God and man. The shaft of the column is made of 24 stainless steel plates with a prayer in 24 languages. The whole world prays. There are biblical and Asian languages, Africa is represented, but most of all Europe, including Romani ( an Indo-Aryan language ). Of course, field and structural work had to be carried out, and stonework was an integral part of it. More than a hundred people collaborated on the project," said Jiří Tomášek.

The stainless steel column on which the sculpture will be placed is driven into a large granite boulder like a nail into the cross of Christ and grows into the Tree of Life. The stone was found a few meters from Erlebach's hut during a flood last year. "It is made of very hard granite and was so unyielding that it took three days to drill through it. The prayers on the column are cut with a machine from 2023, but the sculpture is cast in the same way as it was 1,000 years ago," added Tomášek.

According to the authors, the Mother of God as the throne of Divine Wisdom represents the Church in the sculpture. "The face of the Queen is dignified with a gentle smile for us and an obvious mockery of evil, because it no longer has any power. The central theme is the child Christ with a wound in his side, with outstretched arms, symbolizing the cross. With this gesture, the Savior embraces the whole world. The idea of the work is highly joyful. It is won and it is only up to us whether we will take this path," said Tomášek.

A total of four sculptures of the same shape, with only a minimal difference in the word amen, will be created, symbolically like the four gospels, said the spokesman for the bishopric. One will be placed in the Krkonoše Mountains, the second will travel to Nazareth in Israel in September 2025, the third to Maribor, Slovenia, and the fourth will probably go to Syria.

"We cast twelve fragments from stainless steel melted at a temperature of 1670 degrees Celsius. These will then be welded onto a stainless steel column, on which a statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms will be placed," said Silvester Dědek from the company Přesné odlitky.

Under the direction of director Filip Renč, a documentary film is being created about how the story of the Marian Column in the Krkonoše Mountains, the Queen of the Mountains, came about.

The unveiling of the monument in the Krkonoše Mountains near Erlebachova bouda will be on August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, when the new Marian artifact will be blessed by Bishop Jan Vokál. The ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a Holy Mass. Jiří Pavlica composed the central song of the symphony for this occasion with words of prayer on the theme of the Marian Column, Queen of the Mountains. According to Pavlica, the entire symphony will be completed later.