Statue of John of Nepomuk (Brno-Bohunice)

The Statue of St. John of Nepomuk in Brno-Bohunice is a Baroque monument from 1722, one of the oldest surviving landmarks in this Brno district. It now stands on Lány street, close to the Kaufland shopping centre, and is listed as a protected cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

What does the statue show?

The statue depicts St. John of Nepomuk set atop a tall, profiled pedestal with an irregular, wavy outline that narrows toward the top. Four vertical grooves divide the pedestal into rectangular fields carrying a Latin inscription. The text is composed as a chronogram — a phrase in which certain letters, read as Roman numerals, spell out the year the monument was made, 1722. The inscription itself is a prayer-like formula asking the saint to watch over those who seek him and place their trust in him.

Where did it originally stand, and why was it moved?

The statue was not always on Lány street. It first stood elsewhere in Bohunice, near today's Červený kopec (Red Hill), at the junction of Jihlavská and Jílová streets. In 1953 it had to be relocated because that area was being used for clay extraction to supply the local brick-making industry, and the ground beneath the statue fell within the mining zone. It was moved to its current spot on Lány street, where it remains today — even though the surrounding landscape has changed beyond recognition since then, as the old rural outskirts gave way to post-war development and, later, to the Kaufland retail complex nearby.

How has it been maintained over the centuries?

Three centuries of outdoor exposure took their toll on the stone carving, so in 1992 the statue underwent a thorough restoration. The conservation work preserved the original form of the Baroque pedestal along with its Latin inscription, even though the monument had already been through two kinds of upheaval by that point: a physical relocation within the city, and a complete transformation of its surroundings from farmland on the edge of town to a mixed residential and commercial district. Its status as a protected cultural monument shields it from further alteration and guarantees ongoing conservation care.

Who was St. John of Nepomuk?

John of Nepomuk (died 1393) served as vicar general of the Prague diocese under King Wenceslaus IV. According to tradition, he was thrown from Charles Bridge into the Vltava River on the king's orders, which is why he later became venerated as the patron saint of bridges, of protection against floods, and of the seal of confession. He was canonized in 1729, and the wave of devotion that followed his canonization led to dozens of similar Baroque statues being erected across Bohemia and Moravia throughout the 18th century — at bridges, town squares, crossroads, and village entrances. The Bohunice statue, created just three years before the saint's official canonization, fits squarely into that wider current of popular piety.

Where exactly is the statue located?

The statue stands on Lány street in the Brno-Bohunice district, right next to the Kaufland shopping centre. The site is freely accessible and can be visited at any time while walking through this part of the city.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the statue? It dates from 1722 — the exact year is encoded as a chronogram within the Latin inscription on its pedestal.

Has the statue always stood in the same spot? No. It originally stood near Červený kopec, at the junction of Jihlavská and Jílová streets, and was moved to its present location on Lány street in 1953 because of clay extraction at the original site.

Is the statue legally protected? Yes, it is listed on the register of cultural monuments of the Czech Republic, which entitles it to conservation protection.