Old-time wooden sculpture in Utena Local Lore Museum. St. John of Nepomuk

Crosses and chapel pillars there were, and to this day are being erected in all Catholic lands, “however, nowhere else in the world is has such shapes, bundance and variety, as it has in Lithuania. And those crosses, chapels and chapel pillars are the houses there the Saints lives – sculptures made by local artisans” (Laima Laučkaitė-Surgailienė). In Utena region majority of those are crosses with crucifix statue, significant amount of St. Mary statues, artisans liked to portray baptism of the Christ and St. John of Nepomuk. Utena Local Lore Museum’s art collection keeps many various sculptures of the Saints, among them even 13 are of St. John of Nepomuk. This is not surprising, it was believed that this Saint protects from disasters including water, and Utena region has many lakes and rivers, therefore chapel pillars with St. John of Nepomuk sculptures were erected nearby them. Majority of sculptures came into the possession of the museum in 1960’s when religious monuments were being destroyed by people affected by Soviet ideology. Museum employees of the time, even without provided transport, managed to bring the sculptures to the museum, and by doing this protecting them from destruction. Now old-time wooden sculpture charms and astonishes visitors of the museum. St. John of Nepomuk (1345-1393) was a priest of Bohemia who was the confessor of the queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. Therefore, he was drowned in the Vltava River at the behest of Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. According to later accounts Nepomuk was killed because in church affairs he was supporting archbishop’s supremacy over the king. On 19 March 1729 Pope Benedict XIII canonised John of Nepomuk and declared him as the Saint. Cult of Nepomuk was brought to Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth in second half of 18 th century by Jesuits.

Prepared by Bronislava Juknevičienė.
Translated by Simonas Obcarskas.