NEWS: 15 05 2023

The tradition of decorating statues of Jan Nepomucký on the saints feast day will be commemorated in Olomouc this year. On Tuesday, 16 May, our lecturers and curators will decorate the Baroque statue of Jan Nepomucký on Wenceslas Square in front of the Archdiocesan Museum with flowers and candles. 

“We are inviting local parishioners and the public, including children, to this celebration, because in addition to decorating, we will also remember other forgotten Nepomucene customs. These include the launching of boats on the water, which was especially popular with children.

Whoever will have the opportunity to bring flowers from their own garden, we will be very grateful for them,” emphasizes the lecturer Pavlína Wolfová. The focal point of the celebrations will be the aforementioned Baroque statue, which is located in front of the Olomouc Cathedral on elevated ground in direct view from Dómská Street.

The sculpture was apparently commissioned in 1724 by the canon, a well-known collector and patron of Count Jan Matej of Thurn and Valsassina. Its creation is undoubtedly related to the canonization process of the saint. John was beatified not long before, on 31 May 1721. At the time of the sculptures construction, Johns canonization was underway, culminating in his canonization on 19 March 1729.