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Hrob Svatého Jana Nepomuckého u katedrály Svatý Vita

Tomb of Saint John of Nepomuk outside Saint Vitus Cathedral

Nepomuk c. 1345 - Praha 1393
confessor of the queen of Bohemia, 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
(Wikipedia)

Ignác František Platzer
1763

Praha / Hrob Svatého Jana Nepomuckého u katedrály Svatý Vita

Description

Tomb of St. John of Nepomuk outside the church - a kind of repetition of the tomb inside the church. Depicted is the drowned St. John of Nepomuk carried out of the river by an angel.

Inscription(s)

DIVo IoannI nepoMVCeno eLaborata et saCrata

Built and dedicated to St. John of Nepomuk
Chronogram for 1763

Signature

ren. mcmiv svmpt / dr. j. ..edlak. can. cvst.

Annotation

More famous is the silver tomb of St. John of Nepomuk inside the cathedral. It is not allowed to take photos in there, so it is not on our website.

Statues of Saint John of Nepomuk

The figure of Saint John of Nepomuk 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:
a priestly dress
the palm of martyrs
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
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, in Czech
Nepomuki, in Polish.
Treffpunkt Schoener-Reisen, Sankt Nepomuk, der Brückenheilige , in German.
Gerhard Eichinger, Nepomuk Sammlung [➝ Geschichte(n) ➝ Nepomuk Sammlung], in German.
Wedigo von Wedel, www.brueckenheilige.de, in German.

Sculptor

Ignác František (Ignaz Franz) Platzer (Plzeň 1717 - Praha 1787), Czech sculptor. His workshop, active until the early 20th century, created hundreds of statues of St. John of Nepomuk. The standard statue "bends sideways at the waist, often to a depth that defies anatomical possibility. The upper body and head arch over the crucifix which raised to the shoulder height until the saint and his Savior seem almost to kiss" (Richard Burton, Prague: a cultural history, 2003, p. 30). (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Saxa Loquuntur, Sv. Jan Nepomucký: Svatojánské sochy v ceských a moravských krajských mestech.

Locatie (N 50°5'27" - E 14°24'4") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: czpr040; Photograph: 18 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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