Sign in with Facebook"(Some of) The Statues of Charles Bridge....." Prague Travelogue by leics
Prague Travel Guide: 13,801 reviews and 22,778 photos
.........deserve, I think, a travelogue to themselves. I suspect an awful lot of visitors wander over the bridge without realising what they are seeing, and finding out about the statues is actually quite fascinating (even though lots of them are neither particularly old nor particularly well-executed).
I didn't manage to photograph them all (and there are too many for a travelogue anyway); restoration work at the Mala Strana end meant some were inaccessible. The light was poor too, which didn't help!
The main picture is the statue of St John of Nepomuk, the first statue on the bridge, dating from 1683. It's the only bronze one (now green, obviously) and he has a gold-leaf starry halo and palm branch. Stars appeared over the water when he was thrown in, bound and gagged, in 1393 (though the Vatican admitted, in 1961, that he'd actually died of torture before his dead body was disposed of into the Vltava). The bronze plaque underneath is shiny and worn from centuries of people touching it for luck.
St Ivo is the patron saint of lawyers................Czech law students traditionally place a glass of beer in his hand when they complete their final exams.
This sculpture, of the founders of the Trinitarian Order, is by Brokof. St John of Matha, Felix of Valois (and his pet stag) and St Ivan are placed above a prison housing three terrified men (with a smug Turkish jailor and dog alongside). Apparently, the three good souls ransomed many a Christian imprisoned by the 'infidels'.
This one is of a blind Cistercian nun, St Lutgard, to whom Christ appeared in a vision so she could kiss his wounds. The sculptor, Braun, was only 26 at the time he created it.
It's the details that fascinate. Look at this poor, distressed devil! The Dominican friar who is commemorated here (St Vincent Ferrer) cast out 70 such devils during his lifetime (as well as converting 2500 Jews and managing to resurrect 40 people).
St Ludmilla, the first martyr of Bohemia, carries the veil with which she was strangled. Her grandson, St Wenceslas, is alongside and his own martyrdom is sculpted on the base of the statue.
St Nicholas of Tolentino hands out bread to the poor; behind his statue is a lantern on the balcony. If it goes out while you're passing, you will die within the year.
Finally (and mostly because the column behind the figure is most peculiarly blobbed with cherubs), Cajetan; he was the founder of the Theatrine Order and ran a chain of pawnshops in Naples. This was ok, because they did not make any profit. Apparently.
So: a small sample of the statues (there are 30 on the bridge itself) in the hope that, should you visit, you look a little more closely than you might otherwise have done!
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Comments (7)
nice pages , to me was a lot more different. Was there under Czechoslovakia and then went last july, big differences,and found the city nice, and people more friendlier. ahh and I got bills for all detail, hehehe cheers
Great and helpfull tips - I add a lot of yours to my trip guide! Thanks! Alena
Hello & greetings from Dubai! Thanks for your informative page, really enjoyed it. Lucky me just one two Emirates Airlines tickets to Prague so we're heading there in November; so excited! Really enjoyed your tips / Jess
It's a long time since I was in Prague - 1971, then again in 1991 and 94. Do I want to go again? Not too sure - virtual visits like this one may be the better way! Enjoyed your OTBPs.
I never knew that about the button and the cross,thanks for that,I`d better go there again then..Hadnt I ??i
Great page, J. You seem to look at the same sort of things as we do, and have given me some ideas - we fly out on Weds !
Great off the beaten path tips - Hmmm, I did't rub any brass knobs. I think all those places had scaffolding over them when I was in Prague. Does that mean I will not return?? Oh, no. Not that...
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