Statue of the Lamentation of Christ (Pietà)

Look to your right at this fine-grained sandstone sculpture, where the seated figure of the Virgin Mary forms a triangular shape holding the body of Christ beneath a prominent, copper-covered wooden cross.

This third pillar of the bridge has always been something of a cursed spot, historically vulnerable to the raging river below. A catastrophic flood in fourteen ninety-six completely swept away a simple wooden crucifix that first marked this location.

For nearly two centuries, the pillar sat empty until a dramatic Baroque Pietà was installed in sixteen ninety-five. But that sculpture's reign ended violently during the eighteen forty-eight Revolution. As barricades went up across Prague, the bridge was caught in the crossfire, and the artwork was heavily damaged by cannon balls and musket shots. Take a glance at your screen to see a historical drawing of that lost original.

The story of what happened next involves a rather convenient expert opinion. Sculptor Josef Max was asked if the ruined piece should be restored. He strongly recommended removing it entirely, which, by a pure coincidence I am sure, paved the way for his brother, Emanuel Max, to win the new commission.

But Emanuel Max's eighteen fifty-nine replacement marked a meaningful shift in the city's history. While older statues were bankrolled by wealthy aristocrats, this restrained Neoclassic piece was funded entirely through a public collection. It was a true project of the people.

The figures form a deeply intimate scene. Mary Magdalene kneels to kiss Christ's hand, while Saint John stands in mourning. Keeping this people's monument intact requires a continuous cycle of destruction and rebirth. Between two thousand and twenty-two and two thousand and twenty-three, restorer Miroslav Žán led a major intervention to remove thick sulfate crusts and biological colonization, which is really just a polite scientific term for decades of stubborn moss and algae eating into the stone.

Step over to see a tender scene born from the ashes of revolution, then we will transition to the Statue of Saint Joseph right next door. And in case you were wondering, the bridge is open twenty-four hours a day, all week long.