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Kutná Hora
Středočeský kraj Husova
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Svatý Jan NepomuckýSaint John of NepomukNepomuk c. 1345 - Praha 1393confessor of the queen of Bohemia; patron saint of bridges (Wikipedia) |
18th century sculptor
c. 1760 |
Statue of St. John of Nepomuk on top of the gate next to and belonging to the church named after him, which was built 1734-1752. The rococo gate dates from c. 1760.
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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