Depicted sandstone Baroque sculptural group St. Vitus, Bl. John of Nepomuk and St. Wenceslaus (Sv. Vít, Bl. Jan Nepomucký a Sv. Václav) decorates late Gothic Old Town Bridge (Staromestský most) in Decín.
The Old Town Bridge (Staromestský most) is a stone late Gothic road bridge that spans the Ploucnice River near its mouth to the Elbe in the Old Town of Decín. Bridge, 92 meters long, was built in 1564–1569 from sandstone blocks. Although bridge was built in the Renaissance era, it is thanks to used style, construction and elements still a late Gothic structure. Above the middle pillar there is a sculpture by Michal Jan Brokoff from 1714. The construction was carried out by builder S. Hölle and stonemaster H. Franck. The Old Town Bridge is one of the most important, oldest and most authentic historic monuments of the town of Decín. The architectural and artistic significance of this bridge, which is the result of highly trained technical craftsmanship, is emphasized by a quality dated and iconographically remarkable stone sculpture highlighting the main Czech patrons - St. Wenceslas and St. Vitus, among whom is accentuated the figure of not yet canonized future Saint John of Nepomuk. The Old Town Bridge currently serves as a touristic footbridge only.
St. Vitus (Sv. Vít), according to Christian legend, was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of medieval Roman Catholicism. Saint Vitus' Day is celebrated on 15 June. In places where the Julian Calendar is used, this date coincides, in the 20th and 21st centuries, with 28 June on the Gregorian Calendar. In the late Middle Ages, people in Germany and countries such as Latvia celebrated the feast of Vitus by dancing before his statue. This dancing became popular and the name "Saint Vitus Dance" was given to the neurological disorder Sydenham's chorea. It also led to Vitus being considered the patron saint of dancers and of entertainers in general.
Vitus is considered the patron saint of actors, comedians, dancers, and epileptics. He is also said to protect against lightning strikes, animal attacks and oversleeping. St. Vitus became one of the patrons and protectors of the Czech Lands. [wiki]
St. Wenceslaus (Sv. Václav), duke, martyr, and patron of Bohemia, born probably 903; died at Stará Boleslav, 28 September, 935.
His parents were Duke Vratislav (Wratislaw), a Christian, and Drahomíra, a heathen. He received a good Christian education from his grandmother (St. Ludmila). After the death of Vratislav, Drahomíra, acting as regent, opposed Christianity, and Wenceslaus, being urged by the people, took the reins of government. He placed his duchy under the protection of Germany, introduced German priests, and favoured the Latin rite instead of the old Slavic, which had gone into disuse in many places for want of priests. Wenceslaus had taken the vow of virginity and was known for his virtues. The Emperor Otto I conferred on him the regal dignity and title. For religious and national motives, and at the instigation of Drahomíra, Wenceslaus was murdered by his brother Boleslav. The body, hacked to pieces, was buried at the place of murder, but three years later Boleslav, having repented of his deed, ordered its translation to the Church of St. Vitus in Prague. The gathering of his relics is noted in the calendars on 27 June, their translation on 4 March; his feast is celebrated on 28 September.
John of Nepomuk (Jan Nepomucký) (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.