The dominant feature of the northern part of Prešov square is the restored Baroque sculpture of the Immaculata, surrounded by a park, also called the Trinity by the inhabitants of Prešov.
From March to September 1687 the execution ground of the Prešov blood court stood on this place. It was here that the Jesuits erected a sculpture of Immaculata in 1751 for reasons that are not entirely clear (probably to eradicate the tradition of the Prešov slaughterhouses and Protestant martyrs). Most of the money for the construction (1,200 gold coins) was bequeathed by the burgher Ján Rudiger Feigenbuz, and the rest was donated by Countesses Csákyová and Pethöová.
Sandstone sculpture of the Immaculata in the form of a three-part pedestal with statues of four saints - St. Nicholas, the bishop, St. John of Nepomuk, St. Stephen and St. Francis Xavier - is the work of the Košice sculptor Jozef Hartmann. The dominant feature of the work is gilded statue of the Madonna and Child, crown and sceptre.
During the bombing of Prešov in 1944 by Soviet planes the Immaculata was damaged considerably. It was restored in 1967 and later in 1995-1997.
Source: www.gopresov.sk; Švorc, P.: Guide to Historical Prešov. Universum. 2006. Prešov. ISBN 80-89046-35-5
Cover photo: Jano Štovka, MQEP
