Square of Holy Trinity (Szentháromság tér)
Budapest

The Square of Holy Trinity is located in the Castle District, not far from the Royal Palace.

In the middle of the square stands a highly decorated Holy Trinity Column, dating from 1713 and commissioned by the Buda Council following a plague.

On the corner of the square is an attractive statue of Pallas Athene, th eGreek goddess of wisdom and protector of cities. The statue is actually a copy, the 1874 original is today just inside the southern gateway of the Budapest City Council.

The Buda coat of arms can be seen on her shield, and in her left hand she holds a spear. The spear has often been stolen, and for this reason the image of the statue has become well known, thanks to a 1980 TV programme which used the disappearing spear to focus on the decline of the city's architectural heritage. A popular series followed and this helped spur the movement for the protection of the city's built environment, which today uses the Pallas Athene statue as its symbol.