Socha Panny Marie s Ježíškem před kostelem Narození Panny Marie v Hořicích

The statue of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child is a Baroque sculpture standing by the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in the centre of Hořice, right among a cluster of other historic monuments gathered around the church. It depicts Mary holding the infant Jesus and belongs to a group of valuable Baroque sculptures that, over time, found their permanent home on the grounds surrounding the church.

Where does the statue originally come from?

Unlike some of the neighbouring monuments, this statue was not created for its current spot. It originally stood on Mohylík hill in the hamlet of Chvalina, along the old road connecting Hořice with Hradec Králové, near the junction leading toward Dobrá Voda. Placing Marian statues at crossroads and along travel routes was a common Baroque practice — such figures were meant to bless travellers and mark significant points along the way.

When was it made, and by whom?

The statue is dated to 1735 and was created within the circle of Matyáš Bernard Braun's workshop, one of the leading names of Czech Baroque sculpture, active in nearby Kuks. Some sources attribute the actual carving to J. V. Devoty, one of Braun's pupils — fitting into the broader picture of Hořice as a town where the Braun school's influence can be traced across several monuments at once, including the neighbouring group "Kristus v zahradě Getsemanské."

How did it end up next to the church?

In the mid-20th century, an ornamental garden enclosed by a stone balustrade was laid out around the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, on the site of the town's former cemetery. It was at that time that several valuable Baroque statues from various locations in the surrounding area were brought together in one place — including the Virgin Mary statue relocated from Mohylík hill. Today it stands on the northern side of the church, carved from light sandstone and facing east.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

The grounds around the church in Hořice form a small but dense cluster of monuments spanning very different periods. A short distance away stands the Baroque group "Kristus v zahradě Getsemanské" from around 1730, attributed to Jiří František Pacák, and nearby a memorial to Jan Amos Comenius alongside the bronze statue "Muž práce" (The Working Man) by Ladislav Šaloun from 1908. The church itself, rebuilt in its current Baroque form between 1741 and 1744 to a design by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer after a fire in 1738, ties the whole ensemble together — from the church's Gothic origins, through Baroque religious sculpture, to secular monuments honouring later figures of Czech culture.

Why is it worth a visit?

Hořice is known for its centuries-long stonemasonry tradition — the surrounding region was home to valued quarries, and the town is still associated with its stonemasons' school and stone-carving craft. The statue of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, though visually more modest than the dramatic Gethsemane scene nearby, carries its own historical weight: it is a tangible trace of how monuments were relocated during the postwar reorganisation of urban space, and a reminder that not every statue in central Hořice has always stood where it stands today. A short walk around the church reveals several eras of Czech religious and secular sculpture in a single spot.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the statue of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child stand? By the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in the centre of Hořice, on its northern side.

Where did the statue originally stand? On Mohylík hill in the hamlet of Chvalina, along the old road from Hořice to Hradec Králové; it was moved to the church grounds in the mid-20th century.

Who created the statue, and when? It dates from 1735 and was made within the circle of Matyáš Bernard Braun's workshop; some sources name his pupil J. V. Devoty as the sculptor.

What other monuments stand nearby? The Baroque group "Kristus v zahradě Getsemanské" from around 1730, a memorial to Jan Amos Comenius, and the bronze statue "Muž práce" by Ladislav Šaloun from 1908.