St. John of Nepomuk / Sv. Jan Nepomucký - Belobranské námestí (Pardubice, East Bohemia)
N 50° 02.428 E 015° 46.822
33U E 555879 N 5543421
The depicted late-Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) decorates small Belobranské námestí (Whitegate Square) in Pardubice' district Bílé predmestí.
Waymark Code: WMVB16
Location: Pardubický kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 03/26/2017
Views: 21
The depicted late-Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) decorates small Belobranské námestí (Whitegate Square) in Pardubice' district Bílé predmestí.
The statue of St. John, depicting saint in a standard iconographical interpretation, is work of unknown Baroque sculptor from 1744. Statue is an average Baroque sculptural work, probably of local provenience.
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]