Statue of Our Lady with the Child on Ostrów Tumski

The Statue of Our Lady with the Child stands on Cathedral Square on Ostrów Tumski in Wrocław, in front of the main entrance to the Archcathedral of St John the Baptist. It is the oldest surviving monument in the city, unveiled in 1694.

Origin of the monument

The statue was created on the initiative of the Jesuits as an expression of the triumph of Catholicism over Protestantism. The author of the sculpture, made of sandstone, formally remains unknown, but the Dutch sculptor Sulpicjusz Gode is considered the most likely creator. The work is free of the influences of the Prague school typical of other Silesian monuments of the period, and was probably commissioned by the cathedral chapter from an artist trained on Italian models.

What the statue looks like

On the pedestal, in contrapposto, stands the figure of the Immaculate Mary in a halo of seven stars, dressed in heavily draped robes. In her arms she holds the naked Christ Child, who blesses with his right hand. With her left foot Mary rests on the globe of the earth, while treading on a serpent, a symbol of sin and heresy. The lower part of the base is unadorned and finished with a profiled cornice, while the upper part narrows in an arch towards the top. On the front wall of the base is a Latin founding inscription with the date 1694, and the remaining panels of the base are decorated with a relief floral ornament. The monument is surrounded by a balustrade with balusters.

Damage and restorations

In 1945, during wartime fighting, the statue was damaged. It was restored in 1953, with the missing parts made good, and Mary's destroyed head was reconstructed by the Kraków sculptor Jadwiga Horodyska. At that time a Polish prayer was added below the Latin inscription: "Queen of Peace, pray for us". A further restoration took place in 1992. In November 2009 the statue's head fell off, and it was put back in place on 8 December of the same year.

Practical information

• Address: Cathedral Square, Ostrów Tumski, Wrocław, in front of the entrance to the Archcathedral of St John the Baptist
• Access: on foot around Ostrów Tumski, also close to the Tumski Bridge and the Botanical Garden of the University of Wrocław
• The site is accessible at all times, free of charge, and the approach to the monument is wheelchair-accessible