Svatý Jan Nepomucký Saint John of Nepomuk

The statue of Saint John of Nepomuk is the most significant sculpture on the historic Charles Bridge in Prague. Cast in bronze in 1683 by W. H. Heroldt in Nuremberg, it serves as the definitive iconographic model for depictions of the saint across the country. The figure portrays the saint as a bearded canon, distinguished by five stars circling his head, a rocheta, a cross, and a palm branch, symbolizing his martyrdom. It has become a focal point of the cult of Saint John of Nepomuk and is widely celebrated for the luck-granting ritual, where visitors touch the polished reliefs on its pedestal. While the actual location where the saint was cast into the Vltava River is marked by an archbishop's cross in the bridge railing between other statues, this primary monument remains the go-to spot for those seeking a touch of local magic.