Column of the Immaculate Conception - Palermo

The Column of the Immaculate Conception is located in Piazza San Domenico. The column was built in 1728 to fill the square that seemed very barren due to the reconstruction work on the facade of the Church of San Domenico.

The monument consists of a large marble base topped by a tall column , also of marble, on which stands a bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception, the entire structure designed in 1724 by Tommaso Maria Napoli and built by Giovanni Amico. The original project expected the body of the monolithic column to be much longer. The Dominican Fathers planned such a height that the image of the Virgin would be visible from the high altar during the office of sacred functions.

The column is inspired by similar Austrian structures : on its base, which stands on a staircase, are the statues of two popes and on the corner pedestals are four marble angels , the work of some of the city's best 18th-century sculptors.

Very important is the feast of the Immaculate Conception that takes place every year on December 8, when the fire brigade lays a bouquet of flowers at the feet of the Madonna.

Willem Vandenameele