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Svatý Jan Nepomucký s andĕly

Saint John of Nepomuk with angels

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

Michael Brokoff
1718

Description

Sandstone statue of St. John of Nepomuk and two angels, with a text shield and a book respectively.

Inscription(s)

ivsti semita qvasi lvx splendens proverb: iv:v:xviii	pIa IoannIs InterCe[ssIo] sIt nobIs ConfVsIone præserV[at]I[o] [p]eCCatorIbVs ConVersI9 [p]oenItentIbVs VenIa [f]iDelIbVs defVnCtIs reqVIes perpetVa.	dIcentI I[oa]nnes aVe NepoMVCene faVe
Chronogram 1718	Chronogram 1718	Chronogram 1718

On the shield and the book hold by the angels respectively:

stetit
contra reges horrendo[s]
in porte[ntis]
e[t]
signis
sap: [x:xvi]

beatvs vir
qvi [no]n est
laps[us v] erb[o]
[ex]
ore s[uo]
ec[cl]es: [xiv:i]

gloria dei
est
c[ela]re verb[um]
prove[rb: xxv:ii]

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

Michael Johann Joseph Brokoff (Klášterec nad Ohří 1686 - Praha 1721 in Prague), Czech sculptor of the Baroque era, working with sandstone; son of Jan Brokoff, brother of Ferdinand Brokoff (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Kateřina Adamcová, (Ne)rozluční společníci. Polozapomenuté ikonografické i urbanistické souvislosti vybraných sochařských děl věnovaných sv. Janu Nepomuckému v Praze ((In)separable companions. Half-forgotten iconographic and urban planning contexts of selected sculptures dedicated to St John of Nepomuk in Prague). AUC Philosophica Et Historica 2020(2): 61-86 (PDF Online, Researchgate).

Location (N 50°4'46" - E 14°25'10") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: czpr049; 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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