St. John of Nepomuk on Baroque Column / Sv. Jan Nepomucký na barokním sloupu - Valtice (South Moravia)
N 48° 44.451 E 016° 45.323
33U E 629055 N 5400134
Depicted Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) you can find on the top of the Baroque column, located in the main public space of town Valtice - Liberty Square (Námestí svobody).
Waymark Code: WMRW6V
Location: Jihomoravský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 08/11/2016
Views: 28
Depicted Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) you can find on the top of the Baroque column, located in the main public space of town Valtice - Liberty Square (Námestí svobody).
Late-Baroque column, work of unknown sculptor, has been erected in 1777. Column, originally located in the front of so-called Lazenska Gate, has been moved after demolition of the city walls to Mikulovska Street. On the square it was relocated in 1995.
John of Nepomuk (1345–1393) is a national saint of the Czech Republic, who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia. Later accounts state that he was the confessor of the queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. On the basis of this account, John of Nepomuk is considered the first martyr of the Seal of the Confessional, a patron against calumnies and, because of the manner of his death, a protector from floods.
The statue of St. John of Nepomuk is often encountered in Central 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. Other attributes useful to identify his pictures are: a priestly dress, the palm of martyrs, carrying a cross, an angel indicating silence by a finger over the lips. A statue of Saint John of Nepomuk has often been erected on bridges in many countries, such as on the Ponte Milvio in Rome.
[excerpted from Wikipedia]