Stift Heiligenkreuz - Holy Trinity column

The Dreifaltigkeitssäule stands in the inner courtyard of Stift Heiligenkreuz, a monastery in Heiligenkreuz, Baden district, Lower Austria. It was built between 1736 and 1739 under the direction of Giovanni Giuliani and his workshop, with sculptor Elias Hügel and stonemason Johann Georg Deprunner. The column is a protected monument and was restored in 1986–87. The column is a masterpiece of high Baroque art, using different materials with great skill. It features a cloud-topped obelisk on a tall base, surrounded by a hexagonal enclosure. Three volutes support three niches, topped by a ledge and boldly projecting diadem arches. Inside the niches are statues of Saints Bernhard, Leopold and Benedikt. The middle zone has gilded reliefs of Saints Rosalia, Magdalena and the penitent Peter, and at the corners stand statues of the three plague patrons Rochus, Sebastian and Karl Borromäus. Above, the cloud obelisk shows cherubs with the Virgin Mary’s heavenly crown, welcomed by the Holy Trinity. At the very top is a radiant cross. An inscription in Latin, using Roman numerals and capitalised initials, spells out the year 1736. The whole work rises in a single, powerful composition, blending sculpture, architecture and symbolism.