Statues of Madonna, Saint Dominic and Thomas Aquinas, Charles Bridge

Statues of Madonna, Saint Dominic and Thomas Aquinas form a Baroque sculptural group standing on Charles Bridge in Prague, one of the thirty statues that line this famous Gothic crossing over the Vltava. The composition shows the Virgin Mary handing a rosary to two saints closely tied to the Dominican Order, and it belongs to the bridge's earliest layer of statuary, dating back to the early 18th century.

Where exactly does it stand on the bridge?

The group occupies position N-2, on the northern side of Charles Bridge, in the eastern stretch closer to the Old Town. Charles Bridge links Prague's Old Town with Malá Strana and has been one of the city's most walked routes for centuries, with rows of stone figures on both sides turning the crossing into an open-air gallery of Baroque sculpture.

Who created it, and when?

The group was carved by Matěj Václav Jäckel, a Czech Baroque sculptor, in 1708. It was commissioned by the Dominican convent attached to the Church of St. Giles (sv. Jiljí) in Prague's Old Town — the order had long identified strongly with the cult of the rosary, a devotion this sculpture makes explicit.

What does the sculpture depict?

The central figure is the Madonna with Child, who leans down from a high, cloud-wrapped pedestal toward the kneeling Saint Dominic, placing a rosary in his hands — a gesture referencing the legend of the rosary's revelation to the founder of the Dominican Order. On the opposite side kneels Saint Thomas Aquinas, holding an open book, a reference to his standing as a theologian and Doctor of the Church. The group is rich in small doctrinal symbols: beneath the Madonna sits a globe wrapped in clouds and a dog carrying a burning torch in its mouth — a visual pun on the Latin phrase Domini canes, "the hounds of the Lord," a traditional nickname for the Dominicans. Thomas Aquinas wears a chain bearing a radiant sun on his chest, symbolizing Truth, while a putto beside him holds a beehive, a traditional emblem of wisdom. Together, the composition merges portraits of two historical figures — Dominic (1173–1234) and Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) — with the layered symbolism typical of Baroque sacred art.

What happened to the original statue?

As with many other statues on Charles Bridge, Jäckel's original carving no longer stands on the bridge itself — it was moved to the Lapidarium of the National Museum, where it is protected from further weathering. The figure currently on the bridge is a faithful replica, made between 1958 and 1961 by sculptors V. Bartůněk and S. Hanzl. It is this copy that visitors see today while crossing Charles Bridge, while the original can be viewed separately, under the calmer conditions of a museum display.

Frequently asked questions

Who created the statue of the Madonna, Saint Dominic and Thomas Aquinas? It was carved in 1708 by Czech Baroque sculptor Matěj Václav Jäckel, commissioned by the Dominican convent at Prague's Church of St. Giles.

Where exactly on Charles Bridge does it stand? It stands on the northern side of the bridge, at position N-2, in the section closer to the Old Town.

Is the statue on the bridge today the original? No — the figure on the bridge is a copy made between 1958 and 1961 by V. Bartůněk and S. Hanzl. Jäckel's original is kept in the Lapidarium of the National Museum.

What does the dog with a torch at the Madonna's feet symbolize? It refers to the Latin wordplay Domini canes, "the hounds of the Lord," a traditional nickname for the Dominican Order and its mission of preaching the faith.