Saint Philip Neri - Prague Castle Ramp, Prague, Czech Republic
Posted by: 
vraatja
N 50° 05.364 E 014° 23.942
33U E 457011 N 5548743
Sandstone statue of an Italian priest St Philip Neri, known as the Second Apostle of Rome, made by a famous Czech Baroque sculptor Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff from 1715 at Hradcany Square.
Waymark Code: WM13ERF
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 11/25/2020
Views: 18
This statue of St Philip Neri (originally a statue of St John Sarkander) was made in 1715 in the Brokoff family workshop of Prague. The saint’s figure positioned on a tall pedestal is complemented by an inscribed cartouche with a pair of putti. The anticipated reconstruction and restoration will return to this valuable specimen of Baroque sculpture located in a highly visible site its original aesthetic qualities, a visual upgrade essential to its spectator impact.
The saint stands in contrapuntal position with his head cocked to his right shoulder. He is dressed in a priest's robe, complete with cloak, wearing a priest's biret, a missionary crucifix pressed against his chest. At his feet lies a heart, from which grows a stem of lily with a few flowers (an attribute used in the meaning of "man of pure heart"). The statue stands on a pillar-shaped pedestal with a circular Roman head. The column is decorated with grooves (canelura). The upper part of the shank of this column is compressed and is decorated with acanthus leaves pointing downwards. The braids are alternately unadorned and decorated with lily-blossom braids. The saint, with his present position of gaze and gesture, turns to those ascending the Castle Steps.
Biography
Philip was the son of Francesco di Neri, a lawyer, and his wife Lucrezia da Mosciano, whose family were nobility in the service of the state. For seventeen years Philip lived as a layman in Rome, probably without thinking of becoming a priest.
In 1551 Philip received all the minor orders, and was ordained deacon and finally priest (on 23 May). He thought of going to India as a missionary, but was dissuaded by his friends who saw that there was abundant work to be done in Rome. Accordingly, he settled down, with some companions, at the Hospital of San Girolamo della Carita, and while there tentatively began, in 1556, the institute with which his name is more especially connected, that of the Oratory. The scheme at first was no more than a series of evening meetings in a hall (the Oratory), at which there were prayers, hymns, and readings from Scripture, the church fathers, and the Martyrology, followed by a lecture or by discussion of some religious question proposed for consideration.
Philip Neri was beatified by Paul V in 1615 and canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622.
Cited from (
visit link)