Saint Wenceslaus of Bohemia (Svatý Václav) - Bríštany, Czech Republic - Statues of Religious Figures on Waymarking.com

The Baroque sandstone statue of Saint Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia is located in front of the house No. 109 at the crossroad in the center of a village Bríštany in Jicín District. From the engraved text on a front part of its richly decorated pedestal one can find that the statue comes from 1762 and that it was renovated in 1858 and 1887.The Patron Saint is depicted here as wearing a partly gilded crown on his head. In his right hand he holds a spear and with his left hand holds a shield with eagle.

Biography

Wenceslas (Wenzel) (907–29), duke of Bohemia and martyr. The son of Duke Wratislaw, Wenceslas was educated mainly by his grandmother Ludmilla, a devoted Christian, and became duke in 922. He often followed the advice of the clergy and worked for the religious and educational improvement of his people. This implied greater contact with the rest of the Christian world, particularly the German Empire, whose king, Henry the Fowler, Wenceslas recognized both as the successor of Charlemagne and as his own overlord. This policy, together with a pagan reaction against a determined Christian king, led to the death of Wenceslas at the hands of his brother's followers. Boleslav, his brother, who was implicated in his murder, nevertheless had the relics of Wenceslas translated to the church of St. Vitus in Prague, where they became the centre of the cult and a place of pilgrimage. His feast was celebrated from 985; within another twenty or thirty years he became Bohemia's patron saint: his picture was engraved on the coins and the Crown of Wenceslas was regarded as a symbol of Czech nationalism and independence. Later, a series of wall paintings at the castle of Karlstein underlined his national as well as his religious importance.

His cult spread to Bavaria and Saxony, but there was no ancient cult of him in England. His feast came in with the Roman Missal. J. M. Neale's famous carol ‘Good King Wenceslas’ made him a household word, but its contents are not based on any known incident in the saint's life; by its re-use of a 13th-century spring carol ‘Tempus adest floridum’ it successfully popularized Christian and Victorian ideals of social benevolence and practical almsgiving.

Associated Religion(s): Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church Statue Location: at the crossroad and in front of house No. 109 in a village Bříšťany Entrance Fee: free Artist: Not listed Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the statue. A waymarker and/or GPSr is not required to be in the image but it doesn't hurt.

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