The statue of St. John of Nepomuk in

Divina Divina ( hu, Nagydivény) is a village and municipality in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1325. File:Divina, pečať.jpg, Oldest seal of Divina vill ...

is the National Cultural Monument of

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. Divina is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Žilina District Žilina District ( sk, Okres Žilina) is an '' okres'' (district) of the Žilina Region in north-western Slovakia. The district was first established in 1923. Its present borders date from 1996. The heart of the district is the Váh and Rajec rive ...

in the

Žilina Region The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...

of northern Slovakia. In historical records the

was first mentioned in 1325. The Statue of St. John of Nepomuk is registered in the Central List of the Slovak Memorial Fund under the number 1334/2. It is a sandstone sculpture from 1796 standing on a stone base. The statue has a good artistic elaboration of the saint's face and drapery. The saint does not have a traditional

biretta The biretta ( la, biretum, birretum) is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three-peaked biretta is worn by Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. A four-peaked bire ...

on his head. The statue is a remembrance of the last male descendant of the

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

Szunyogh family – John Nepomuk Szunyogh, who is credited with the construction of the Divina church and rectory. In Slovakia, there are only few preserved architectural and artistic monuments that belonged to the count branch of the Szunyog family of Budatín. In 1588, the branch was promoted to

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

s, later

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s. The last male descendant was John Nepomuk Szunyogh, who died in 1798, leaving only one daughter Josephine. St. John of Nepomuk was his personal patron, to whom he had a special reverence.

St. John of Nepomuk

St. John of Nepomuk, Czech saint, died as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

. His tortured body was bound and thrown in the

Vltava Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at M ...

river. St. John of Nepomuk is one of the most frequently illustrated saints in the territory of the former

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

and there are monuments (mostly statues) of him in almost every village in Slovak and

Czechia The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Cz ...

. His statues and other monuments are all over the world. The fact that we can find St. John of Nepomuk also in less expected locations only confirms his universal respect. St. John is the patron of confessors, priests, sailors, rafters, millers and protector from drowning or tongue diseases. He is co-patron of the Czech Republic and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. Many churches and chapels have been consecrated to him in Central and Western Europe. St. John of Nepomuk churches and chapels can be found in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Czechia,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Slovakia,

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. His is also worshipped in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Since 16 May 1758, St. John of Nepomuk has been the patron saint of the Spanish Marine Forces (''Infantería de Marina''). Outside

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, there churches and chapels consecrated to him especially in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Also names of many municipalities in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

were given in respect of him.

History

Interesting information about the statue was found in the recently discovered

Canonical visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...

of Divina from 1828: ''"On the territory of the parish, there is also on stone statue of St. John Nepomuk, which used to be located at the entrance to the Divina village near the stream along the road in 1796. It was built by the count John Szunyogh. After the fatal massive

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

in 1822 that wrecked the entire village from the ground, the statue was swept away. It was found head-less. Later, thanks to the willingness of the count Stephen Csáky, the current patron of the church, it was repaired and placed in front of the rectory on the brick column."''

Another characteristic

* Century: 18th * Founder: Count John Nepomuk Szunyogh (1796) * Innovator: Count Stephen Csáky (after 1822)

International project of restoration

The project of restoration of St. John of Nepomuk statue was initiated by architect

Marek Sobola Marek Sobola (born 3 July 1981) is an authorised landscape architect, professional gardener and heraldic artist from Slovakia. Biography Sobola was born in Žilina, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) into a family from Lalinok and Divina. He spe ...

and was started in 2016, was completed in June 2017. Partners, who were addressed to cooperate have either some connection to St. John of Nepomuk or to Slovakia.

Auspices

* : The project was carried out under auspices of the

Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

of the Federal Republic of Germany in Slovakia.

Project patrons

* : His Majesty

Norodom Sihamoni Norodom Sihamoni ( km, នរោត្តម សីហមុនី, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of Norodom Sihano ...

, the king of

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

* : His Majesty Simeon II., the last tsar of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Project donors

* : His Royal Highness Franz, Duke of Bavaria * : The

Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

(''Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani'' – ''OESSH''). Emeritus

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

gave his support to the restoration of the statue of St. John of Nepomuk. * : The Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, the only Catholic knight order of Czech origin (''Ordo militaris Crucigerorum cum rubea stella in pede pontis Pragensis'' – ''O.Cr''), Metropolitan Chapter House of

St. Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...

in Prague, which is the owner of the saint's grave and the city of

Nepomuk Nepomuk (; german: Pomuk) is a town in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. It is known as the birthplace of Saint John of Nepomuk, who was born here around 1340 and whose statue can b ...

– the birthplace of St. John of Nepomuk. * :

Diocese of Žilina In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

, municipalities of Divina, Divinka and Svederník. The project was also strongly supported by: Kysuce Museum in

Čadca Čadca (; until 1918 Čatca, Czača, hu, Csaca, pl, Czadca) is a district town in northern Slovakia, near the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. Etymology The name is derived from a word ''čad'' (smoke, soot; Proto-Slavic: ''čadъ'', ...

, Servare et Manere, civic association,

Kia Motors Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

Slovakia

Foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

, the

Philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

Club 53-19 from Žilina and unknown donors. File:The Canonical Visitation of Parish „Veľká Divina“ from 1828.jpg, Page from the Canonical Visitation from 1828 mentioning the statue of St. John of Nepomuk File:Statue St. John of Nepomuk in Divina.jpg, Statue before starting the restoration File:Divina John of Nepomuk Overall view.jpg, The statue - overall view

Blessing ceremony

The statue was uncovered on its new stand on Friday 2 June 2017 by Joachim Bleicker, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Slovakia together with Emil Molko, Mayor of Divina and Marek Sobola, author of the project. Subsequently, it was blessed by Mons.

Tomáš Galis Tomáš Galis (born 22 December 1950 in Selice) is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Žilina. Tomáš Galis was born, the first of five children to Stephen Galis and Christine Šprláková. In 1966 he completed the basic nine-y ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Žilina. It happened more than 190 years since it was restored after being damaged by a flood. Besides the Bishop, Ambassador of Germany and the Head of the Bishop Office, the ceremony was attended also by invited partners. The uncovering and blessing of the statue were followed by a vernissage presenting all partners of the monument restoration on panels.

Legacy of the project

Book

On the occasion of the statue uncovering and blessing, a book was published, titled The story of St. John, Statue of St. John of Nepomuk in Divina (in Slovak: ''Príbeh svätojánsky, Socha svätého Jána Nepomuckého v Divine''), written by Marek Sobola and collective of other authors. The book, besides the biography of St. John of Nepomuk, presents similar monument in the surroundings of Divina. The book comes with a summary in German, English, Bulgarian and Khmer languages and, at the vernissage, it was ceremonially promoted by Divina soil scatted over it.

Postal products

The Slovak Post issued official postal products on this occasion – stamp, envelopes and stamp coupons.

Award

On November 29, 2018 a solemn announcement of results of the 13th edition of the Phoenix – National Cultural Monument of the Year 2017 competition was held, where four objects were awarded. The Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic, Ľubica Laššáková handed over the bronze statue of the Phoenix to the owners of these reconstructed Monuments. The Ministry also awarded four Honorable recognitions alongside the main prize. Exceptional realization of the restoration project of the Statue of St. John of Nepomuk in the village of Divina has gained one of these four recognitions.

References

{{Reflist Sculptures of saints Sculptures in Slovakia