Religious Figure. There is considerable doubt as to the exact origins of Saint John (Jan) Nepomuk. He was either a Vicar-General of Prague, named John (Jan) or Pomuk, or another vicar who refused to reveal confessional secrets of King Wenceslas IV's wife. In any case, he was tortured and thrown off the Charles Bridge in Prague, where his body supposedly floated on the surface for some time, surrounded by a halo of stars. He was beatified in 1721 and canonized in 1729. Saint Nepomuk is the patron saint of bridges and boatmen, and his statue (with a halo of golden stars) often appears on bridges and islands in Europe. His 1736 tomb contains two tons of silver.
Religious Figure. There is considerable doubt as to the exact origins of Saint John (Jan) Nepomuk. He was either a Vicar-General of Prague, named John (Jan) or Pomuk, or another vicar who refused to reveal confessional secrets of King Wenceslas IV's wife. In any case, he was tortured and thrown off the Charles Bridge in Prague, where his body supposedly floated on the surface for some time, surrounded by a halo of stars. He was beatified in 1721 and canonized in 1729. Saint Nepomuk is the patron saint of bridges and boatmen, and his statue (with a halo of golden stars) often appears on bridges and islands in Europe. His 1736 tomb contains two tons of silver.
Bio by: Geoff Walden
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