Statue of Virgin Mary

The Statue of the Virgin Mary stands at the very end of the Baroque sculpture trail Na Dlážkách in Telč, right in front of the gate to the churchyard cemetery, next to the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and on the bank of the Old Town Pond. Paired with the neighbouring figure of the Archangel Gabriel, it forms a scene of the Annunciation — the closing statue of the whole trail, positioned nearest to the church itself.

Where exactly is this statue located?

The figure stands in the Telč-Staré Město district, where the Na Dlážkách path finally reaches its destination: the churchyard and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. That is a different spot from the other statues on the same trail — St. John of Nepomuk stands closer to the town centre, while St. Mary Magdalene marks roughly the midpoint of the route, by the pond. The Virgin Mary closes the whole composition, forming the second half of the Annunciation pair right before the entrance to the church grounds.

What is the Na Dlážkách trail, and what role does this statue play?

The Na Dlážkách path runs from Na Hrázi street toward the Old Town, along the shore of the pond, ending at the church. Nine Baroque figures line the route: seven solitary statues (a Guardian Angel, the Archangel Michael, St. John of Nepomuk, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Wendelin, the Archangel Raphael, and St. John the Baptist) plus one paired group depicting the Annunciation — the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. The arrangement functioned as a devotional "holy path," meant to prepare pilgrims spiritually as they walked toward the church. Standing at the cemetery gate, the Virgin Mary marks the culmination of that walk — the last image a pilgrim sees before entering the sacred grounds.

How do you recognise the Annunciation scene in this pair of statues?

Together, the two figures depict the biblical Annunciation: the Archangel Gabriel bringing Mary news of the coming birth of the Saviour. In outdoor Baroque sculpture of this kind, such pairs were typically placed facing or beside one another so they read as one narrative scene for a passing pilgrim — unlike the other seven statues on the trail, each standing alone as an individual saint or angel.

When was the statue made, and who commissioned it?

Research into the Na Dlážkách ensemble points to the 1740s (roughly 1742–1749) as the period when the trail was created. Partially legible founder's inscriptions survive on the pedestals, which existing research suggests may point to a local church confraternity as the commissioning body. The group was conceived as a single, coherent devotional project rather than statues added piecemeal over time.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same statue as the other Baroque figures in Telč? No — it is a separate statue from the same Na Dlážkách ensemble, but standing in a different spot from, say, the St. John of Nepomuk statue (closer to town) or St. Mary Magdalene (midway along the route, by the pond). The Statue of the Virgin Mary can be identified by its location right at the cemetery gate and by the fact that it forms a pair with the Archangel Gabriel.

How do you get to this statue? The easiest way is to walk the Na Dlážkách path from Na Hrázi street, along the shore of the Old Town Pond, all the way to its end by the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary itself with its adjoining cemetery, the other eight Baroque figures along the trail, and the view over the Old Town Pond that the whole walking route follows.

Is it worth walking the entire trail, or is this one statue enough? The statues are best experienced as a whole — only together do they form the planned "holy path" leading to the church, and the Statue of the Virgin Mary makes the most sense as its closing scene.