St. John of Nepomuk on House N° 13 / Sv. Jan Nepomucký na dome c.p.13 - Tábor (South Bohemia) - Statues of Religious Figures on Waymarking.com

Depicted late-Baroque statue of Czech national saint, St. John of Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucký), decorates corner of Baroque burgher house N° 13 in historic centre of town Tábor.

Baroque house N° 13 belongs undoubtedly among the most beautiful houses in Tábor. Its rich facade is decorated by statues of Virgin Mary and St. John of Nepomuk together with a Latin inscription wishing happiness and success. The house, originaly two small Gothic houses, was joined and rebuilt in Baroque style in 1703, when it gained not only a new decorative facade but also valuable gable with volutes and niches. House was completely reconstructed in 1999.

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]