St. John of Nepomuk - Chateau Roztoky / Sv. Jan Nepomucký - Roztocký zámek (Central Bohemia)
N 50° 09.513 E 014° 23.971
33U E 457107 N 5556431
Depicted sandstone Baroque statue (ca 1750) of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) is located close to the entrance of Roztoky Chateau (Roztocký zámek) located in a small town Roztoky u Prahy.
Waymark Code: WMKRZC
Location: Středočeský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/25/2014
Views: 47
Depicted sandstone Baroque statue (ca 1750) of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) is located close to the entrance of Roztoky Chateau (Roztocký zámek) located in a small town Roztoky u Prahy.
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.