In most major cities in Europe we find statues of saints who protected those communities from the plague, a disease that killed more people than wars. One such monument is the statue of St. Mary the Protector, which today stands on Universității Street.
Initially, the monument was built on a site near the Piarist church. It was made by the Austrian artist Anton Schuchbauer in 1774 by order of Governor Anton KorniÅŸ. It was removed in 1959 and placed since 1961 behind the church of St. Peter and Paul.