The monument was built using the spoils of war from the victory over the Turks.
It was constructed on the site of the city's former gallows to transform a place of execution into a place of divine protection.
The statue was funded by the commander of the Košice garrison, Ján Gaspar Kordes, who survived the plague.
The base of the column contains a crypt, though it is not accessible to the public.
St. Sebastian is included as a traditional protector against the plague, often invoked during outbreaks.
The Sculpture Immaculata is a 14-meter-tall Baroque plague column located on the Main Street of Košice. Erected between 1720 and 1723, the monument commemorates the end of the bubonic plague epidemic that struck the city in 1709 and 1710. It stands on the site of a former gallows, a location chosen for symbolic purification of the city. The central figure of the Virgin Mary is surrounded by statues of St. Sebastian, St. Ladislaus, and St. Joseph. The column was commissioned by commander Ján Gaspar Kordes as a sign of gratitude for the city's recovery. It features a decorative iron fence with stone pedestals and allegorical reliefs. The site is a central focal point of the historic Staré Mesto district. Recent restorations have preserved the original 18th-century sandstone details.
From the steps of the State Theatre looking back toward the column to capture the monument framed against the backdrop of the city's historic buildings.
Visit during the early morning to capture the architecture without the crowds that fill the main street.
Observe the detailed base reliefs, which are often overlooked by tourists focusing only on the top statue.
Take time to notice the surrounding historic architecture, as the column serves as the geographical center of the old town.
Do not attempt to climb or sit on the lower stone pedestals of the fence, as it is a protected cultural monument.
