Column of the Immaculate Conception, Piazza San Domenico, Palermo

The Column of the Immaculate Conception is located in the center of Piazza San Domenico in the La Loggia district. It was erected in front of the Church of San Domenico, which is the second most important church in Palermo after the cathedral, constituting a pantheon of outstanding Sicilians who began to be buried there. Originally the Column of the Immaculate Conception was much higher, but the Dominican Fathers had it shortened so that they could view the statue directly from the main altar, through the central window of the church facade.

This column, decorated with a depiction of the Virgin Mary, is dedicated to the "Madonna Immacolata". The term "immaculate conception", which today may sound a little theoretical and difficult to understand, is intended to say that the Mother of God was freed from the beginning by the grace of God from the burden of original sin - which every other person has carried within themselves since the fall of Adam and Eve. This meant that when the archangel later announced to her in Nazareth that she would give birth to the Son of God, she was willing to answer "YES" of her own free will. In 1854, Pope Pius IX elevated this article of faith to dogma. The feast of the "Madonna Immacolata" is celebrated annually on December 8th. In Rome, it is customary for the Holy Father to pray on this day at the Marian column dedicated to her - in the square below the Spanish Steps.