In 1679, Vienna started to go through one of the last of the great pandemics in history. King Leopold I, on his way out of town (ahem), said he'd build a mercy column if the sickness came to an end. I guess he didn't have a Doctor Fauci on his staff. Meanwhile, a provisional wooden column that was a tribute to the Holy Trinity was under construction.
What you see here was finally finished and put on display in 1694. There were disagreements over the final shape of the statue, but eventually everyone agreed on this. It certainly grabs your attention when visiting downtown Vienna.
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