St. John of Nepomuk on bridge / Sv. Jan Nepomucký na moste - Sazená (Central Bohemia)
N 50° 18.362 E 014° 17.276
33U E 449292 N 5572899
Depicted replica of the Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) decorates Baroque four-arch stone bridge in village Sazená in Central Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.
Waymark Code: WMNV0Y
Location: Středočeský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/04/2015
Views: 31
Depicted replica of the Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) decorates Baroque four-arch stone bridge in village Sazená in Central Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.
The bridge spanning the Bakovský Creek was probably constructed by Florián Gryspek of Gryspach, owner of Sazená demesne and local chateau. The bridge was reconstructed and six Baroque sandstone saint' statues (St. Anthony, St. Joseph, St. Catherine, St. Clement, St. John of Nepomuk and Calvary) by Ignác Platzer were added in 1757. Bridge represented thanks to its original unusually rich sculptutral decoration for rural area unique example of a "small Charles Bridge". Majority of statues delapidated during last 100 years, only the last two, St. John of Nepomuk and Calvary, were saved and relocated into Velvary Regional Museum. Statues on the bridge are their artificial-stone exact replicas.
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]