Holy Trinity Column, Sopron
Facts and practical information
The statue of the Holy Trinity in Sopron is one of the most valuable works of Hungarian Baroque sculpture. The richly decorated, multi-figure sculptural ensemble, dating from 1701, is located in the centre of the Main Square.
The statue was erected by Katalin Thököly and her third husband, Jakab Löwenburg, in memory of their survival of the great plague epidemic of 1695-1701. It was the first outdoor twisted column in Central Europe. The high pedestal also houses kneeling statues of the two donors. The inscription between them is in fact a chronogram, reading VNI TRINOQVE DEO PATRI FILIO SPIRITVI SANCTO EX VOTO POSVIMVS SOPRONII.V + I + I + I + V + D + I + I + I + L + I + I + I + I + V + I + C + X + V + V + V + I + M + V + I + I + I5 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 5 + 500 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 50 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 100 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1000 + 5 + 1 + 11701The chronogram reads in English: 'We Sopronites have vowed to the Trinity of one God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit."On the left side: IOANNES IACOBUS S:R::I: COMES a LÖWENBURG/ PERPET IN STRECHEN & WARY COM IN ZATHUAR/ VEGLES INCL COMITATUS BECKES SUP COMES SA/ R MAATIS EX: CAM AULIC NEC NON REGNI/ HUNG: CONSIL PRIMUM QUIDEM COMIT MARIAE/ REGINAE CZOBOR de Szent MIHAL EXPOST VERO CATHARINAE TOKOLY de KYSMARCK MARITUS
"János Jakab Löwenburg, Count of the Holy Roman Empire; hereditary Count of the castle of Sztrecsény, Szádvár and Végles,61 the esteemed Békés County Governor, first councillor of the court chamber of His Royal Highness, and also of the Kingdom of Hungary; firstly the spouse of Countess Maria Regina Czobor of Szentmihály, and later of Countess Katalin Thököly of késmárk."
On the right: COMITISSA CATHARINA TÖKELY de KIS/ MARCK PRIMUM FRANCISCI ESTERHAZY de GALANTHA & FRACKNO EXPOST CAROLI/ IOSEPHI IORGER DE TOELET & TANDEM/ IOANNIS IACOBI a LÖWENBURG ILLUSTRIS/ - SIMORUM COMITUM CONTHORALIS
"Countess Katalin Thököly Késmárki, first spouse of Ferenc Esterházy of Galanta and Frakno, then of Charles Joseph de Toelet, and finally of the worthy counts János Jakab Löwenburg"
On the reverse, dedication inscription DEO TRINO & VNI/ POTENTI SAPIENTI/ BONOQUE
Behind John James of Löwenburg is his namesake, St James, behind Catherine of Thököly is King Stephen, while on the opposite side are statues of St John of Nepomuk and St Anthony of Padua. On the second level, St Anne with the Child Mary is on the left and St Catherine of Alexandria, the Countess's namesake, is on the right. On the opposite side are the figures of a female martyr holding a palm branch and a chalice, Saint Regina and Saint Barbara. At the base of the twisted column is a figure of the Immaculate Virgin standing on a globe with a snake coiled around her.
The statue has been restored several times, the last restoration taking place in 2011 as part of the reconstruction of the Main Square.
Gyor-Moson-Sopron