Sv. Jan Nepomucký - St. John of Nepomuk

One of my favorite Czech saints is Sv. Jan Nepomucký. Probably because he's one of the most famous but also because like all good saints, has some great legend built up around him. That, and you can ask him for favors if you visit his statue on Charles' Bridge. When my sister, Jill, and I were in Prague together a few years ago, I told her to ask Sv. Jan for a wish. Just put your left hand on his statue - I have recently heard that you must touch the five stars, one with each finger - and ask. She mentioned that it was a bit superstitious to which I replied, he's a saint, it's like an intercession...score one for me ;)





So, Sv. Jan lived in the latter half of the 14th century. From vitejte.cz:

"St John Nepomuk, a Czech patron saint, was one of the most devoutly worshipped saints in the Czech Lands in the Baroque period. Appointed vicar general under the archbishop Jan of Jenštejn, John Nepomuk became involved in a dispute with King Wenceslas IV concerning Kladruby Abbey. Legend has it, however, that he refused to disclose the confession secrets of the Queen. Nepomuk was tortured to death and his body thrown down into the River Vltava. Reportedly five stars appeared on the site where the body was found. These five stars were later adopted to serve as St John Nepomuk's symbol. Statues depicting John Nepomuk can be found practically in every village. More often than not they are situated on bridges as they are believed to protect against floods."

Legend also has it that the Queen was young and beautiful and supposedly cheating on the king there. But more realistic sources will say that he was dumped in the river more because of his political disagreements with the king. A month later, his body was buried. A few hundred years later, when he was exhumed, he was not fully decayed. What is now thought to be his brain, was believed to be his uncorrupted tongue, solidifying his place as a martyr for this refusal to break the confessional seal. Ironically, as one of my friends pointed out, he is the patron saint of sailors and bridges - yes, a guy who was thrown off a bridge and drowned.



So, why am I writing about him? Well, his feast day was a few weeks ago and the night before there was a Baroque festival to celebrate. Pontoons on the river held a platform for a baroque concert. Fireworks were promised, even gondolas...being patron saint of sailors also ties him closely to Venice. Plus, supposedly, the gondola is the only remaining baroque-era boat to still be in use...yes, I hang out with nerds...we're grad students...sue us.





So, naturally, we went to see what was happening. My friends and I gathered at the Ruldofinum and were highly disappointed. We saw the gondolas. Meh. We saw the stage set for the concert, which had no concert but did have a couple of giant evil-looking fish. We were hungry. So, we opted for dinner first. After finally finding space for 6 people on a Friday night, we ate, we were merry, we were tired...so after dinner only a few of us headed back toward the "festivities."







Not much to see. There was a small Medieval-themed market. But the night was nice and a lot of boats were out on the river. So, it was a nice evening. As I was heading towards my tram stop, I heard the faint strains of a Baroque concert.











Sunday morning, as I was walking across Charles Bridge, I saw the garland they laid where tradition has it that Jan went over the side. When showing the bridge to my friend Kasia who just visited, we figured that the 5 stars are on this memorial, not the statue. So, if that's how you make a wish come true, it's no wonder mine hasn't yet. We'll see if I got it right this time.