Statues - Hither & Thither

 

Description

Marble statue of St. John of Nepomuk, stood originally on the Ponte de Alcântara.

The legend says that the sculptor was saved from a shipwreck, thereby assigning the miracle to that saint. The dimensions of this work are: Plinth: 1.17x1.5 m in front and 2.65 m in height; statue with its base: 3.35 m in height, the total height being 6 m. This statue was solemnly blessed on January 8, 1744, in the presence of Queen Maria Anna of Austria (1693-1754), wife of King John V of Portugal (1689-1750), accompanied by the princes. As curiosity the sculptor of this work, Giovanni Antonio Bellini of Padua, was born in Italy in the 90's of the seventeenth century and died during the great earthquake of Lisbon in 1755, since its whereabouts are unknown since that date.

Inscription(s)

so ioanni nepomuceno novo orbis thaumaturgo terræ aquis igni aerique imperanti atque cum alias tum præsentim in itinere maritimo luculento sospitatori suo grati animi ergo hanc statuam posuit cliens deuotis an: reparat: salut: M.DCC.XLII.

To St. John of Nepomuk the new thaumaturge of the world, the ruler of earth, fire, water and air, and above all, the patron of the seas, a devotee, in recognition for his protector, after being saved erected this statue in the year 1743

Signature

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:

World
• Treffpunkt Schoener-Reisen, Sankt Nepomuk, der Brückenheilige
• Gerhard Eichinger, Nepomuk Sammlung [➝ Geschichte(n) ➝ Nepomuk Sammlung]
• Wedigo von Wedel, www.brueckenheilige.de.
  Czechia
• Saxa Loquuntur, Svatý Jan Nepomucký: Svatojánské sochy v českých a moravských krajských mĕstech (Saint John of Nepomuk: Statues of Saint John in the regional capitals of Bohemia and Moravia)
• Wikipedia, Seznam soch svatého Jana Nepomuckého v Praze ( List of statues of Saint John of Nepomuk in Prague).
  Poland
• Nepomuki, with Chronostychy Nepomucki (chronograms on Nepomuk statues).

Artist

• Giovanni Antonio Bellini (1690? - Lisboa 1755?), Italian sculptor from Padua.

Sources & Information

• Histórias com História, 30 Aug. 2016, A Ponte de Alcântara.

Tags

• Town: Lisboa
• Subdivision: Lisboa (distrito)
• Region: Lisboa (região)
• Country: Portugal
• Bellini, Giovanni Antonio
• John of Nepomuk, St.

Location (N 38°42'43" - W 9°8'24") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

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