St. John of Nepomuk - __, Czech Republic
The statue of St. John of Nepomuk in centre of __ village/town.
Saint John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (Czech: Jan Nepomucký; German: Johannes Nepomuk; Latin: Ioannes Nepomucenus (c. 1345 – March 20, 1393) is the saint of Bohemia (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 and drowning.
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The general attributes of sculpture of St. John of Nepomuk: priestly dress, halo of five stars, the Cross, finger over the lips.
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Saint Florian is a Christian saint, and the patron saint of Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is May 4. St. Florian is also the patron of Upper Austria, jointly with Saint Leopold.
St. Florian was born about 250 AD in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetiumin in present-day Sankt Pölten, Austria. He joined the Roman army and advanced in the ranks, rising to commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum. In addition to his military duties, he was also responsible for organizing firefighting brigades. Florian organized and trained an elite group of soldiers whose sole duty was to fight fires.
During the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians, reports reached Rome that Florian was not enforcing the proscriptions against Christians in his territory. Aquilinus was sent to investigate these reports. When Aquilinus ordered Florian to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods in accordance with Roman religion, he refused. Florian was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Standing on the funeral pyre, Florian is reputed to have challenged the Roman soldiers to light the fire, saying "If you do, I will climb to heaven on the flames." Apprehensive of his words, instead of burning Florian, he was executed by drowning in the Enns River with a millstone tied around his neck.
His body was later retrieved by Christians and buried at an Augustinian monastery near Lorch. Later a woman named Valeria had a vision in which she saw him; Florian, in this vision, declared his intent to be buried in a more appropriate location.
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The general attributes of sculpture of St. Florian: Roman soldier’s dress, a pitcher of water
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St. Anthony of Padua was born in the end of the 12th century in a wealthy family of Lisbon, but devoted his life to church. As a young man, he left for a missionary journey to Morocco, Africa, but he was stricken down by a severe illness and was compelled to sail back. The stormy sea drove his ship to the Sicily Island from where Anthony journeyed to Assisi where he became a member of the Order of Grey Friars.
Even some alleged miracles are connected to his person; the best known legend speaks about Anthony's sermon on a Rimini beach where even fish put their heads out of water to hear the preacher's words.
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