Statues - Hither & Thither

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Nepomuk
Plzeňský kraj

Námĕstí Augustina Nĕmejce / Plzeňská
(Kostel sv. Jana Nepomuckého)

Svatynĕ Svatý Jana Nepomuckého

Shrine of Saint John of Nepomuk

Nepomuk c. 1345 - Praha 1393
confessor of the queen of Bohemia; patron saint of bridges
(Wikipedia)

Ludwig Forstner
1849

Nepomuk / Svatynĕ Svatý Jana Nepomuckého

Description

Silver (?) statue of St. John of Nepomuk on the main altar.

Annotation

The church of St. John of Nepomuk in Nepomuk is built on the place where according to the legend the birth house of St. John of Nepomuk stood. In 1639 on that location a church was built, which was consecrated to St. John the Baptist. After the canonisation of St. John of Nepomuk in 1729, this church soon became to small, and in 1734, the church had to make place for the new baroque church, built by Kilián Ignác Dienzenhofer and which was devoted to St. John of Nepomuk.

Saint John of Nepomuk

As confessor of the queen of Bohemia he refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. At the behest of King Wenceslaus of Bohemia he was thrown from the Charles Bridge in Prague and drowned. John of Nepomuk is patron saint of bridges.
His figure is often encountered in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Poland and Lithuania. He is usually portrayed with a halo of five stars, commemorating the stars that hovered over the Vltava River on the night of his murder, also is said that the five stars are supposed to symbolize the five letters of Latin word "tacet", which means "silent".
Other attributes are a priestly dress, the palm of martyrs and a large crucifix, to which he is usually looking.
As additional figures there are often one of more little angels, respectively indicating silence by a finger over the lips, with a crucifix and with the bible.

There are several sites listing statues of Saint John of Nepomuk:

Saxa Loquuntur, Svatý Jan Nepomucký: Svatojánské sochy v českých a moravských krajských mĕstech
Nepomuki
Treffpunkt Schoener-Reisen, Sankt Nepomuk, der Brückenheilige
Gerhard Eichinger, Nepomuk Sammlung [➝ Geschichte(n) ➝ Nepomuk Sammlung]
Wedigo von Wedel, www.brueckenheilige.de.

Artist

Ludwig Forstner, sculptor of Prague.

Location (N 49°29'7" - E 13°34'50") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: czpl022; Photograph: 17 February 2011
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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