The inscriptions on the column

Doxology and signature

The Holy Trinity Column on Hallstatt’s market square, created mostly in Untersberg marble, has a triangular ground plan and 3 inscriptions on its lower part.

The Latin inscription on the base of the front side refers to the Holy Trinity to which the column is dedicated: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Mary, Mother of God is also included in the dedication.

Details about the location and the date the statue is erected complete the column in the form of a so-called chronogram. If you add up the Roman numerals hidden in the text you get 1744, the year the statue is erected.

The man who commissions and donates the Holy Trinity Column immortalises himself in a German inscription on the right-hand rear side. The top line reads, “Johann Ignaz Etzinger” while the next 2 tell us his status and profession, ”salt merchant and council member”.