In 1683, this likeness of St. John of Nepomuk with a five-star halo was the first statue to be placed on the Charles Bridge. It marks where he was tortured and then thrown off the bridge in 1383. His “crime” was not telling Wenceslaus IV, the King of Bohemia, the confessions of his wife, Queen Johanna of Bavaria. John of Nepomuk was canonized in 1729 for his willingness to die versus betray the Seal of the Confessional. The sculpture was created by Matthias Rauchmüller and Jan Brokoff and unveiled 300 years after John of Nepomuk’s martyrdom.
