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Holy Trinity Statue (Holy Trinity Column)

The Holy Trinity statue, 1910sThe Council of Buda decided on the erection of a Holy Trinity Column in 1694 with the aim of protecting the people from the regular outbreaks of plague and in gratitude for its cessation. The foundation stone of the first Holy Trinity Column was laid in 1700. The statue - made by the architect Ceresola Vereio and stone carver Bernát Ferretti - was finished in 1706. In 1709 - in connection with another epidemic - this column was removed and placed in the suburbs of Újlak, and the magistrate decided on the erection of a bigger and more decorative Holy Trinity Column. The sculptor Fülöp Ungleich made the column of today, while the reliefs and the coat-of-arms are the works of Antal Hörger. The Column was inaugurated on 11th June 1713. 

The statues on the cornice of the hexagonal obelisk are: Saint Roch showing his wounds, Saint John holding a cross, Saint Christopher holding the child Christ on his shoulders, Saint Augustin with a burning heart, Saint Joseph holding a lily, and Saint Sebastian with arrows in his body. There are three reliefs under the cornice: the first one depicts King David as he is praying repentantly, the second shows the horrors of the epidemic in Buda Castle, and the third one represents the Holy Trinity Column. Three coats-of-arms can be seen among the reliefs: one for the Emperor, one for the town of Buda and one for Hungary. 

On the three outstanding rims over the six statues are the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and Saint Francis of Xaver. The upper part of the pedestal is decorated with angels' heads, and on the top there is the Holy Trinity group of statues: the Father with the scepter, the Son holding a cross and over them the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

The Holy Trinity square in ruins, 1945