Column of the Immaculate Conception, Bologna

The Column of the Immaculate Conception (Colonna dell'Immacolata) is a beautiful and rather elegant architectural landmark of the Bologna center. It stands on a tree-free spacious square near one of the city’s biggest churches, The Basilica of Saint Francis.

A simple brick Ionic column has a marble base. Bronze bas-reliefs with coats of arms of Pope Urban VIII, the Franciscan Order and Bologna are placed on its three sides. A bronze statue of the Virgin Mary with a crown of stars stands on the top of the column. She is holding a bush and a flower. The artwork symbolizes the Immaculate Conception. It is devoted precisely to this dogma approved by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The statue was created by sculptor Giovanni Tedeschi and based on the sketch of 1638 by the famous painter Guido Reni.

How to get

The column is located in the historic center of Bologna, on Piazza Malpighi Square. Two municipal museums – the medieval and archaeological one – can be found nearby. The closest bus stop is Piazza Malpighi (buses № 11, 14, 20, 21, 29, 30, 61, 62, 89, 94, T2).