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Zásmuky
Středočeský kraj Komenskeho náměstí |
Svatý Jan NepomuckýSaint John of NepomukNepomuk c. 1345 - Praha 1393confessor of the queen of Bohemia; patron saint of bridges (Wikipedia) |
artist unknown
1717 |
Baroque sandstone statue commissioned by Count František Damián of Šternberk and his wife Marie Josefína of Trautmannsdorff, as evidenced by the relief coats of arms of the two families on the front of the plinth, together with the date 1717.
The work was inspired by Brokof’s famous statue on the Charles Bridge in Prague (see here, no. 15); however, it is not a mere imitation. The artist achieved a uniquely conceived sense of monumental solemnity and a focused expression, in which the saint’s face is turned more towards his own inner self than towards the heavens.
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:
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