The majestic St. Anne's Column adorns Maria Theresa Street in Innsbruck. The story of its creation is connected with the Franco-Austrian war, known as the War of the Spanish Succession, which broke out at the beginning of the 18th century.
In 1703, Bavarian troops invaded the lands of Tyrol. After some time, the local population rose up against the occupiers, as a result of which the Bavarian forces were forced to retreat and leave Tyrol. This happened on July 26, 1703, on the day of the veneration of St. Anne. To commemorate such an event, it was decided to erect a monument - in gratitude to St. Anne from the Tyroleans.
The Italian Cristoforo Benedetti took up the task, and he was paid four thousand guilders for the project. The construction of the column lasted two years - from 1704 to 1706. By the way, at the top of the red marble column is not St. Anne, as some mistakenly believe, but the Virgin Mary with a halo made of stars. St. Anne found her place at the foot of the column, in the company of other, no less important, saints - Cassian, Vigilius, and George.
Nowadays, the original statue of the Virgin Mary has been replaced with a copy to prevent its destruction from weather conditions. The actual monument is kept in St. Joseph's Abbey.
