St. John of Nepomuk / Sv. Jan Nepomucký - Vinor (Prague) - Statues of Religious Figures on Waymarking.com

Depicted St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký) statue, the key part of Baroque sculptural group by F.I. Platzer workshop, decorates main public space of Prague' suburb Vinor - Vinorské námestí (Vinor Square).

Sandstone St. John of Nepomuk statue is situated on the top of tiered pedestal with side volute wings. Saint, with cross in the right hand and closed book with biretta in the left one, stands on a fantastic fish - symbol of reticence. His statue is accompanied by statues of two cartouches holding putti ("young cherubs"), standing on the top of volute wings. On the right cartouche is depicted relief of Madonna of Stará Boleslav, on the left one is depicted relief of St. Wenceslaus.

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]