Devil's Column: A Fragment of Prague's Mystical Past

Nestled within the historic Vyšehrad complex in Prague, near the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, lies the Devil's Column, a peculiar assembly of three weathered stone cylinders. These stones, slightly misaligned, stand as a testament to Prague's rich tapestry of legends and historical intrigue. The most popular legend tells of a priest who made a bet with the devil. The priest wagered his soul that he could complete a mass before the devil could retrieve a pillar from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The devil, in a hurry, allegedly stole the column from the Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere, a closer church in Rome. However, St. Peter intervened, throwing the devil into the sea and delaying his return. The priest completed the mass in time, and the enraged devil hurled the column at the church, shattering it into three pieces. A mural inside the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul depicts this very scene. While the legend is captivating, scholars suggest a more grounded origin. The stones are likely fragments of medieval granodiorite columns from one of Vyšehrad's earlier church buildings, possibly dating back to the 11th century. Geologists trace the stone's origin to quarries in the lower Posázaví region of central Bohemia. Regardless of its true origin, the Devil's Column remains a compelling site, inviting visitors to ponder the intersection of myth and history in the heart of Prague.