Św. Jan Nepomucen jako katolicki bohater kulturowy
St. John of Nepomuk as a Catholic Cultural Hero

Summary/Abstract: In ethnography some people can be defined as cultural heroes. Such heroes, regarding features of their character, play a role of mediators between the sacred and the profane. According to the author, numerous saints of the Roman Catholic Church can be treated as such heroes. Certain saints carry in themselves some “cultural” content, which can be well recognized by local communities. It applies in particular to these saints, who can be considered as guardians of human existence. Inhabitants of many European regions found in St. John of Nepomuk an effective ad-vocate against the danger of water. It was so, for example, in the Prussio-Lithuanian border area. St John of Nepomuk was the saint patron first of all against drowning, but also against ill-fated accidents. That is why there was a habit to transfer images of the saint from temples to places of daily life like river crossings or village roadside shrines.

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