saints is St. John Sarkander (Czech Jan Sarkander), whose statue (holding a lily as a symbol of purity) is on the second stage. John Sarkander was a priest who was tortured to death in Olomouc prison in the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, because he, as the legend says, refused to break the seal of confession. The decision to place him here violated the tradition, since Sarkander had not been canonized and not even beatified in that time yet, which could have resulted in problems with the Holy See. However, his following was so strong here that the craftsmen decided to take the risk. Sarkander was beatified in 1859 and canonized in 1995 on the occasion of the visit of Pope John Paul II in Olomouc. Inner chapel The column also houses a small chapel inside with reliefs depicting Cain's offering from his crop, Abel's offering of firstlings of his flock, Noah's first burnt offering after the Flood, Abraham's offering of Isaac and of a lamb, and Jesus' death. The cities of Jerusalem and Olomouc can be seen in the background of the last mentioned relief. See also 1754 in architecture Marian and Holy Trinity columns Pestsäule, Vienna References Bibliography Books in Czech: Perůtka, Marek (ed.) (2001). Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice v Olomouci. Olomouc: Statutární město Olomouc. (includes English summary) Los, Petr & Brabcová, Jitka (2002). Svatí na sloupu Nejsvětější Trojice v Olomouci. Olomouc: Danal. Tichák, Milan (2002). Příběhy olomouckých pomníků. Olomouc: Burian a Tichák, s. r. o. External links UNESCO World Heritage Site: Holy Trinity Column Holy Trinity Column – history and regeneration Holy Trinity Column – Olomouc official website Holy Trinity Column – touristic information National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic Buildings and structures in Olomouc Catholic sculpture World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic Religious buildings and structures completed in 1754 Baroque church buildings in the Czech Republic Marian and Holy Trinity columns Tourist attractions in the Olomouc Region