#St. Francis Borgia Knights

[soccerstl]

Missouri Girls High School Classification Analysis

I offer a look at the Missouri Girls High School Classification with an Analysis of points earned and its impact on what Class Teams may end up in

Sr. Paige Balota for St. Joseph’s Academy attempts to break past Fr. Mackenzie Duff and Sr. Jill Hausmann of Nerinx Hall on April 23, 2018 As we experienced in the Fall, there is a new Missouri Classification model that implemented a Championship Factor rather than the previous enrollment multiplier for non-public and charter schools. It moved small private schools like John Burroughs and Priory…

[alexconkleton]

Memories & Inspirations of Templarism: Lisieux

One of the finest representations of the crucifix that I’ve seen resides in the cathedral at Lisieux in France.

It towers high, shaped and detailed to replica real wood. The most interesting feature is the snake twined around the vertical. Throughout Christianity the symbol of a snake has represented temptation and evil but it’s pre-Christian symbolism has been hidden and is the most relevant in its representation of rebirth and new life, through how the snake sheds its skin. This powerful symbology correlates to the rebirth of Jesus, as he shed his Earthly, humanoid body and ascended into spiritual form.

When exploring spirituality and faith you must be prepared to research patterns and symbols of mystic that most would not consider. At Lisieux there is an intriguing mysticism to the storytelling of the life of Saint Theresa who founded the mission.

In the story below I was interested in the statement that they required a trinity of poses and that of all the possible witnesses it is that of the gardener who is referenced. This is significant in that when Jesus is reported as having appeared to Mary in the garden of his burial, Mary mistook him for the gardener. Was her comment intended for his ears because it was only a murmur but he heard the words and it could be understood as a a comment directed at him, encouraging him to take her spirit through death.

There is also the comment of Therese’s naming being sounding a though she is a child of Jesus, a theme of a number of the stories recounted throughout the church. It was on 10 January 1889 when Saint Therese was given the habit that she received the formal name of Thérèse of the Child Jesus. 

It is this that intrigued me to look further and exploring this suggestion further finds some other interesting contributions such as Saint Therese being popularly known as "The Little Flower of Jesus" and she is regarded as one of the most popular saints in the history of the church.

Saint Therese is regarded as a highly influential model of sanctity for many catholics. Together with Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Thérèse is one of the most popular Roman Catholic saints since apostolic times. Pope Saint Pius X called her "the greatest saint of modern times".

Saint Therese’s parents remain the first and only married couple to be canonized.

Louis Martin, Thérèse’s father gave pet names to his children and Therese was his petite reine, little queen, to whom all treasures belonged. 

It was Christmas Eve of 1886 that Thérèse her "complete conversion." Years later she stated that on that night she overcame the pressures she had faced since the death of her mother and said that "God worked a little miracle to make me grow up in an instant ... On that blessed night … Jesus, who saw fit to make Himself a child out of love for me, saw fit to have me come forth from the swaddling clothes and imperfections of childhood"

After her death Therese’s body was exhumed in September 1910 and the remains placed in a lead coffin and transferred to another tomb.

Saint Therese was recognised as a Doctor of the Church, a title given by the Catholic Church to saints whom they recognize as having made significant contribution to theology or doctrine through their research study, or writing. This title is an English interpretation of the original Latin title in which Doctor means Teacher, a title be which Jesus was commonly known.

Other Doctor’s of the Church include Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 20 August 1153), a French abbot and a major leader in the reform of Benedictine monasticism that caused the formation of the Cistercian order. In the year 1128, Bernard attended the Council of Troyes and created the Rule of the Knights Templar, which soon became the ideal of Christian nobility.

In 1895 Saint Theresa composed the poem "My Heaven down here", was this in reference to Theresa having knowledge of heaven and how it could be transposed on Earth? In the poem Therese expresses the notion that by the divine union of love, the soul takes on the semblance of Christ. By contemplating the sufferings associated with the Holy Face of Jesus, she felt she could become closer to Christ. She wrote the words "Make me resemble you, Jesus!" on a small card and attached a stamp with an image of the Holy Face. She pinned the prayer in a small container over her heart.

On her death-bed Saint Therese said, "I only love simplicity. I have a horror of pretence", was this perhaps a reference to her own pretence of her own relationship with Jesus?

Pope Benedict XV dispensed with the usual fifty-year delay required between death and beatification and on 14th August 1921, he promulgated the decree on the heroic virtues of Thérèse declaring her "Venerable". She was beatified on 29th April 1923. Therese was canonized on 17th May 1925 by Pope Pius XI, only 28 years after her death. 

It is interesting that Thérèse was declared a saint five years and a day after Joan of Arc. As yet the reason for the exactness for this timing is not clear.

However, the 1925 celebration for Thérèse "far outshone" that for the legendary heroine of France. Pope Pius XI revived the old custom of covering St. Peter's with torches and tallow lamps. According to one account, "Ropes, lamps and tallows were pulled from the dusty storerooms where they had been packed away for 55 years. A few old workmen who remembered how it was done the last time, in 1870, directed 300 men for two weeks as they climbed about fastening lamps to St. Peter's dome." The New York Times ran a front-page story about the occasion titled, "All Rome Admires St. Peter's Aglow for a New Saint". 

According to the Times, over 60,000 people, estimated to be the largest crowd inside St. Peter's Basilica since the coronation of Pope Saint Pius X, 22 years before, witnessed the canonization ceremonies. In the evening, 500,000 pilgrims pressed into the lit square.

She rapidly became one of the most popular saints of the twentieth century. Her feast day was added to the General Roman Calendar in for celebration on October 3rd. In 1969, 42 years later, Pope Paul VI moved it to October 1st, the day after her dies natalis (birthday to heaven).

In 1944 Pope Pius XII decreed her a co-patron of France with Saint Joan of Arc. The principal patron of France is the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By the Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia (The Science of Divine Love) of 19th October 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II declared her the thirty-third Doctor of the Church, the youngest person, and one of only four women so named, the others being Teresa of Ávila (Saint Teresa of Jesus), Hildegard of Bingen and Catherine of Siena.

This small group of women becomes of great interest to focus the research on Saint Theresa’s peer group to further explore the understanding of the importance and relevance of her being made a Doctor of the Church and associated with them.

Teresa of Avila is a particularly interesting individual with whom to start. Teresa is also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus who lived 28th March 1515 – 4th October 1582 was known as a prominent Spainish mystic; mysticism being in strong association with pre-Christian faiths.

Her paternal grandfather, Juan Sánchez de Toledo, was a marrano (a Jewish man who was forcibly converted to Christianity). When Teresa's father was a child, Juan was condemned by the Spanish Inquisition for allegedly returning to the Jewish faith, but he was able to convince them otherwise and re-assume a Christian identity. A Jewish family legacy brings Teresa’s lineage closer to a possible connection with the blood line of Jesus.

When her mother died, Teresa found comfort in a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary as her spiritual mother, perhaps a natural calling.

Teresa’s connection to an older religious faith manifested in her widening learning of spiritualism. As the Catholic distinction between mortal and venial sin became clear to her, she says she came to understand the awful terror of sin and the inherent nature of original sin. She also became conscious of her own natural impotence in confronting sin and the necessity of absolute subjection to God.

Around 1556, various friends suggested that her newfound knowledge was diabolical, not divine. This knowledge could have been an indicator of Teresa’s learning of a secret or hidden knowledge shared through her lineage, through the relationship of her blood line. 

She began to inflict various tortures and mortifications of the flesh upon herself. But her confessor, the Jesuit Saint Francis Borgia, reassured her of the divine inspiration of her thoughts. On St. Peter's Day in 1559, Teresa became firmly convinced that Jesus Christ presented himself to her in bodily form, though invisible. These visions lasted almost uninterrupted for more than two years. In another vision, a seraph drove the fiery point of a golden lance repeatedly through her heart, causing an ineffable spiritual and bodily pain:

“I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it...”

This vision was the inspiration for one of Bernini's most famous works, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa at Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. 

By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43527951

This iconic work of art which was used as an inspiration for Robert Langdon investigation of the path to Illumination in Angels and Demons. As in the movie is this a hidden message that directs your attention to the truth of a connection of the illuminati to Teresa and her pre-Christian heritage, which carries the power of knowledge that could threaten to bring down the mysticism and power of the church.

Another of the earlier female Doctors of the Church was Hildegard of Bingen 1098 – 17 September 1179 a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary, and polymath.

Saint Hildegard wrote Liber Divinorum Operum "Universal Man" about 400 years before the image and interpretation of the mystery of man was immortalised in Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

This was Saint Hildegard's last and grandest visionary work had its genesis in one of the few times she experienced something like an ecstatic loss of consciousness. As she described it in an autobiographical passage included in her Vita, sometime in about 1163, she received "an extraordinary mystical vision" in which was revealed the "sprinkling drops of sweet rain" that John the Evangelist experienced when he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word..." (John 1:1). Hildegard perceived that this Word was the key to the "Work of God", of which humankind is the pinnacle. 

The Book of Divine Works, therefore, became in many ways an extended explication of the Prologue to John's Gospel.The ten visions of this work's three parts are cosmic in scale, to illustrate various ways of understanding the relationship between God and his creation. Often, that relationship is established by grand allegorical female figures representing Divine Love (Caritas) or Wisdom (Sapientia). The true, overwhelming influence and power of femininity is divine in many aspects.

The first vision opens the work with a salvo of poetic and visionary images, swirling about to characterize God's dynamic activity within the scope of his work within the history of salvation. 

The remaining three visions of the first part introduce the famous image of a human being standing astride the spheres that make up the universe, and detail the intricate relationships between the human as microcosm and the universe as macrocosm. This culminates in the final chapter of Part One, Vision Four with Hildegard's commentary on the Prologue to John's Gospel (John 1:1-14), a direct rumination on the meaning of "In the beginning was the Word..." The single vision that comprises the whole of Part Two stretches that rumination back to the opening of Genesis, and forms an extended commentary on the seven days of the creation of the world told in Genesis 1-2:3. This commentary interprets each day of creation in three ways: literal or cosmological; allegorical or ecclesiological (i.e. related to the Church's history); and moral or tropological (i.e. related to the soul's growth in virtue).

Finally, the five visions of the third part take up again the building imagery of Scivias to describe the course of salvation history. The final vision (3.5) contains Hildegard's longest and most detailed prophetic program of the life of the Church from her own days of "womanish weakness" through to the coming and ultimate downfall of the Antichrist.

This incredible work of vision and divine inspiration could be some of the greatest wisdom ever bestowed upon humanity. Imagine for a moment if just one of these visions were real and a true message from God through Hildegard. This and her other works of vision interpretation reveal the meaning behind creation, our relationship to divinity and the universe pre-Bible scripture. 

Saint Hildegard’s inspired knowledge and wisdom are clearly expressed through her medicinal and scientific writings, though thematically complementary to her ideas about nature expressed in her visionary works, they are different in focus and scope. Neither claim to be rooted in her visionary experience and its divine authority. Rather, they spring from her experience helping in and then leading the monastery's herbal garden and infirmary, as well as the theoretical information she likely gained through her wide-ranging reading in the monastery's library, a library no doubt of great wealth in ancient, pre-Christian knowledge. As she gained practical skills in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, she combined physical treatment of physical diseases with holistic methods centered on "spiritual healing." She became well known for her healing powers involving practical application of tinctures, herbs, and precious stones. She combined these elements with a theological notion ultimately derived from Genesis: all things put on earth are for the use of humans. In addition to her hands-on experience, she also gained medical knowledge, including elements of her humoral theory, from traditional Latin texts.

Hildegard cataloged both her theory and practice in two works. The first, Physica, containg nine books that describe the scientific and medicinal properties of various plants, stones, fish, reptiles, and animals. The second, Causae et Curae, is an exploration of the human body, its connections to the rest of the natural world, and the causes and cures of various diseases.

In the first part of Causae et Curae there is the context of the creation of the cosmos and then humanity as its summit, and the constant interplay of the human person as microcosm both physically and spiritually with the macrocosm of the universe informs all of Hildegard's approach. Her hallmark is to emphasize the vital connection between the "green" health of the natural world and the holistic health of the human person. Viriditas, or greening power, was thought to sustain human beings and could be manipulated by adjusting the balance of elements within a person. Thus, when she approached medicine as a type of gardening, it was not just as an analogy. Rather, Hildegard understood the plants and elements of the garden as direct counterparts to the humors and elements within the human body, whose imbalance led to illness and disease.

Thus, the nearly three hundred chapters of the second book of Causae et Curae "explore the etiology, or causes, of disease as well as human sexuality, psychology, and physiology." In this section, she give specific instructions for bleeding based on various factors, including gender, the phase of the moon (bleeding is best done when moon is waning), the place of disease (use veins near diseased organ of body part) or prevention (big veins in arms), and how much blood to take (described in imprecise measurements, like "the amount that a thirsty person can swallow in one gulp").

In the third and fourth sections, Hildegard describes treatments for malignant and minor problems and diseases according to the humoral theory, again including information on animal health. 

The fifth section is about diagnosis and prognosis, which includes instructions to check the patient's blood, pulse, urine and stool. Finally, the sixth section documents a lunar horoscope to provide an additional means of prognosis for both disease and other medical conditions, such as conception and the outcome of pregnancy. For example, she indicates that a waxing moon is good for human conception and is also good for sowing seeds for plants (sowing seeds is the plant equivalent of conception). Elsewhere, Hildegard is even said to have stressed the value of boiling drinking water in an attempt to prevent infection.

As Hildegard elaborates the medical and scientific relationship between the human microcosm and the macrocosm of the universe, she often focuses on interrelated patterns of four: "the four elements (fire, air, water, and earth), the four seasons, the four humors, the four zones of the earth, and the four major winds."

Although she inherited the basic framework of humoral theory from ancient medicine, Hildegard's conception of the hierarchical inter-balance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) was unique, based on their correspondence to "superior" and "inferior" elements, blood and phlegm corresponding to the "celestial" elements of fire and air, and the two biles corresponding to the "terrestrial" elements of water and earth. Hildegard understood the disease-causing imbalance of these humors to result from the improper dominance of the subordinate humors. This disharmony reflects that introduced by Adam and Eve in the Fall, which for Hildegard marked the indelible entrance of disease and humoral imbalance into humankind. As she writes in Causae et Curae c. 42:

“It happens that certain men suffer diverse illnesses. This comes from the phlegm which is superabundant within them. For if man had remained in paradise, he would not have had the flegmata within his body, from which many evils proceed, but his flesh would have been whole and without dark humor [livor]. However, because he consented to evil and relinquished good, he was made into a likeness of the earth, which produces good and useful herbs, as well as bad and useless ones, and which has in itself both good and evil moistures. From tasting evil, the blood of the sons of Adam was turned into the poison of semen, out of which the sons of man are begotten. And therefore their flesh is ulcerated and permeable [to disease]. These sores and openings create a certain storm and smoky moisture in men, from which the flegmata arise and coagulate, which then introduce diverse infirmities to the human body. All this arose from the first evil, which man began at the start, because if Adam had remained in paradise, he would have had the sweetest health, and the best dwelling-place, just as the strongest balsam emits the best odor; but on the contrary, man now has within himself poison and phlegm and diverse illnesses.”

Saint Hildegard is the first recorded female Doctor of the Church, a record of spiritually inspired, women who are revered, even officially by the church, for their expansion and exploration of spiritualism, even though this challenged doctrine and sanctioned Christian belief or was this acceptance how the church continued its millenia of the assimilation of the truth of the bloodline of Jesus and the truth of the nature of the divine symbiotic relationship and harmony between all life.

[adianaavans-blog]

Charles Bridge

On the picture you can see the Charles Bridge (Karluv Most). I first saw the bridge when I was 10 years old and went on a day trip to Prague with my parents. Then I saw it again when I was traveling in the summer of 2016 and now I see it every other month. If you are wondering why I’m not visiting this beautiful piece of architecture and history more often, even though I live in Prague, it’s because there are always so many people. That picture you see above is not like I have ever seen it, no matter the time no matter the weather if feels like there are always many people on the bridge. So I have to be in the mood.

Charles Bridge is a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Lesser Town (Malá Strana). It was actually called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) during its first several centuries. Its construction was commissioned by Czech king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and began in 1357. When I went on a walking tour through Prague, the tour guide told us it’s am easy to remember year just at two to the previous number an there you have it.

In charge of the construction was architect Petr Parléř whose other works include the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge.

Charles Bridge has survived many floods, most recently in August 2002 when the country experienced the worst flood in the past 500 years. So the egg yolks must not have been such a bad idea.

The bridge is 621 metres long and nearly 10 metres wide, following the example of the Stone Bridge in Regensburg, it was built as a bow bridge with 16 arches shielded by ice guards.

It is protected by three bridge towers, the towers standing on each end of the bridge can be climbed for the view. I don’t climb buildings due to a server case of fear of heights.  

The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.

Throughout its history, the Charles Bridge suffered several disasters and witnessed many historic events. Czech legend has it that construction began on Charles Bridge at 5:31am on 9 July 1357 with the first stone being laid by Charles IV himself. This exact time was very important to the Holy Roman Emperor because he was a strong believer of numerology and this specific time, which formed a numerical bridge (1357 9, 7 5:31), would imbue Charles Bridge with additional strength. Given the bridge's long life perhaps the Emperor's belief holds some weight, though the bridge has seen its fair share of tragedy.

A flood in 1432 damaged three pillars.

In 1496 the third arch broke down after one of the pillars lowered, being undermined by the water.

A year after the Battle of White Mountain, when the 27 leaders of the anti-Habsburg revolt were executed on 21 June 1621, the Old Town bridge tower served as a display of the severed heads of the victims to stop Czechs from further resistance.

During the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648, the Swedes occupied the west bank of the Vltava, and as they tried to advance into the Old Town the heaviest fighting took place right on the bridge. During the fighting, they severely damaged one side of the Old Town bridge tower (the side facing the river) and the remnants of almost all gothic decorations had to be removed from it afterward.

During the late 17th century and early 18th century the bridge gained its typical appearance when an alley of baroque statues was installed on the pillars.

During a great flood in 1784, five pillars were severely damaged and although the arches did not break down, the traffic on the bridge had to be greatly restricted for some time.

On 2–5 September 1890, another disastrous flood struck Prague and severely damaged the Charles Bridge. Thousands of rafts, logs and other floating materials that escaped from places upstream gradually formed a huge barrier leaning against the bridge. Three arches were torn down by the great pressure and two pillars collapsed from being undermined by the water, while others were partly damaged.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the Charles Bridge saw a steep rise of heavy traffic. The last day of the horse line on the bridge was 15 May 1905, when it was replaced with an electric tram and later, in 1908, with buses. After repairs between 1965 and 1978 traffic was no longer aloud on the bridge and it became accessible only to pedestrians.

The Statues

Statues on the south side of the bridge

Statue of St. Ivo

The original was made by Matthias Braun in 1711, paid for by the Law faculty of Charles University. The statue portrays St. Ivo as the patron saint of lawyers, accompanied by an allegorical depiction of Justice.

Statues of saints Barbara, Margaret and Elizabeth

The statues were sculpted by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1707. Although there is an inscription saying IOANN BROKOFF FECIT (made by Jan Brokoff), their style is evidence that his son Ferdinand is their true author.

Statue of the Lamentation of Christ

Designed by Emanuel Max in 1858, upon commission from the Old Town's public authorities, the statue depicts Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary mourning the dead Christ. At this position on the bridge, there was originally a wooden crucifix, which was destroyed by a flood in 1496. In 1695, a statue depicting the lamentation of Christ by Jan Brokoff was installed here; this was removed to the Monastery of Gracious Nurses under Petřín hill in Prague in 1859 and replaced by the current statue.

Statue of St. Joseph This statue was designed by Josef Max and sponsored by Josef Bergmann, a tradesman in Prague. It depicts St. Joseph leading a small Christ, and is situated on a pseudo-Gothic base. It replaced a statue with the same motif by Jan Brokoff, designed in 1706. This was damaged by cannon fire during the 1848 revolution and was replaced by the current statue in 1854.

Statue of St. Francis Xavier

This statue is a 1913 replica by Čeněk Vosmík of Ferdinand Brokoff's original 1711 sculpture. The original sculpture was commissioned of the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy of Charles University, but fell into the river during the floods of 1890. The statue depicts an Indian and a Japanese prince being baptized by the saint, along with a Moor in chains and a Tatar.

Statue of St. Christopher

This statue was designed by Emanuel Max in 1857 and sponsored by Václav Wanek, the portreeve of Prague. It depicts the saint holding Christ as a boy on his shoulder. The statue was originally conceived by Count Antonín Sporck, who wanted to build a marble statue as tribute to Charles VI in 1720. A plan of this was created by Matthias Braun, which was not executed.

Statue of St. Francis Borgia

This statue was commissioned from Ferdinand Brokoff by the imperial Burgrave František z Colletů in 1710. The sculpture portrays St. Borgia, a Jesuit priest, with two angels.

Statue of St. Ludmila

The exact date and sculptor responsible for this statue are not known, although it is believed that it was created by Matthias Braun around 1730. The sculpture was erected on the bridge in 1784 to replace the statue of St. Wenceslas damaged in the floods in that year. The statue depicts St. Ludmila teaching her grandson, St. Wenceslas and the base contains a relief sculpture showing the murder of St. Wenceslas.

Statue of St. Francis of Assisi

Sculpted by Emanuel Max in 1855, the statue was donated by count František Antonín Kolowrat Liebsteinský. It portrays St. Francis standing with two neoclassic angels, on a pseudo-baroque base. The sculpture replaced a similar statue designed in 1708 by František Preis.

Statue of Saints Vincent Ferrer and Procopius + Bruncvík column

One of the most artistically important pieces on the bridge, this statue was sculpted by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1712, paid for by Romedius Josef František, the count Thun and lord of Choltice. St. Vincent is on the left, with a coffin and a kneeling penitent sinner by his legs. Saint Procopius of Sázava stands on a devil to the right. Beside the statue of Sts. Vincent and Procopius stands a column with a sculpture of Bruncvik, (a mythical Bohemian knight inspired by the Saxonian and Bavarian knight Henry the Lion from Brunswick), portrayed helping a lion fight a seven-headed dragon. This was sculpted by Ludvík Šimek in 1884, and sponsored by the City of Prague. The knight, Bruncvík, is holding a golden sword, with a lion lying by his legs. This replaced a statue of Roland, erected in 1502, and was intended to remind passers-by of the Old Town's privileges, in particular the right to charge tolls and duty. It was damaged by cannon fire when the city was attacked by Swedish forces in 1648.

Statue of St. Nicholas of Tolentino

Sculpted by Jan Bedřich Kohl in 1708, this statue was paid for by the Augustinian order convent of St. Thomas in Prague. The saint is portrayed standing on a simple base, together with an angel holding a basket of bread.

Statue of St. Luthgard (Dream of St. Luthgard)

Possibly the most valuable piece of art on the bridge, the statue of St. Luthgard was sculpted by Matthias Braun in 1710 as a commission from Evžen Tyttl, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Plasy.

Statue of St. Adalbert

Designed by Michael and Ferdinand Brokoff in 1709, this statue was sponsored by Markus Bernard Joanelli, the councilor of the Old Town of Prague. The saint is represented with a prelate stick developing into a sea paddle and is standing on a base decorated with angels and the emblem of the donor.

Statues of Saints John of Matha, Felix of Valois, and Ivan

The most spacious and expensive sculpture on the bridge, this was designed in 1714 by Ferdinand Brokoff and sponsored by František Josef Thun, the lord of Klášterec nad Ohří. The sculpture was intended to honour the two founders of the Trinitarians, the order that supervised buying back and redeeming of Christians in captivity under Turks. St. Ivan, the saint patron of Slavs was added to the group for unknown reasons. The base depicts a cave in which three chained Christians are praying to the Lord for salvation.

Statue of St. Wenceslas

This statue was designed by Karel Böhm in 1858 and was based on the design by Josef Kamil Führing. The statue was paid for by the Institute of the Blind at Klárov, Prague. Until 1822, various little shops stood on this part of the bridge.

Statues on the north side of the bridge

Statue of the Madonna attending to St. Bernard This statue was sculpted by Matěj Václav Jäckl in 1709 and donated by the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Osek, Benedikt Littwerig.

Statue of the Madonna, Ss. Dominic and Thomas Aquinas This group was sculpted by Matěj Václav Jäckel in 1708, and sponsored by the Dominicans Convent of St. Giles in the Old Town of Prague. The statue portrays the Madonna giving the Rosary to St. Dominic on the left, with St. Thomas Aquinas standing to the right.

Statuary of the Holy Crucifix and Calvary This sculpture is one of the most historically interesting sculptures on the bridge, which gradually gained its present appearance throughout many centuries. The original wooden crucifix was installed at this place soon after 1361 and probably destroyed by the Hussites in 1419. A new crucifix with a wooden corpus was erected in 1629 but was severely damaged by the Swedes towards the end of the Thirty Years' War. The remnants of this crucifix can be found in the lapidarium of the National Museum in Prague. This was replaced by another wooden Calvary which, in turn, was replaced with a metal version in 1657. Bought in Dresden, this crucifix was originally made in 1629 by H. Hillger based upon a design by W. E. Brohn. In 1666, two lead figures were added, but these were replaced in 1861 by the present sandstone statues by Emanuel Max, portraying the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist.

The golden Hebrew text on the crucifix was added in 1696. In 1696, the Prague authorities accused a local Jewish leader, one Elias Backoffen, of blasphemy. As his punishment he was ordered to raise the funds for purchasing of gold-plated Hebrew letters, placed around the head of the statue, spelling out "Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord of Hosts," the Kedusha from the Hebrew prayer and originating in the vision from the Book of Isaiah. The inscription was a symbolic humiliation and degradation of Prague Jews, forcing them to pay for a set of golden letters referring to God and hung around the neck of the statue of Christ (information from Steven Plaut, The "Vav" from the Charles Bridge). A bronze tablet with explanatory text in Czech, English and Hebrew was mounted under the statue by the City of Prague in 2000. The tablet's placement came after an American Rabbi, Ronald Brown of Temple Beth Am in Merrick, New York was passing over the bridge and noted the possibly offensive nature of the placing of the text. Upon a direct request to the mayor, the tablet was soon placed to the side of the statue.

Statue of St. Anne Designed by Matěj Václav Jäckel in 1707, at the expense of count Rudolf of Lisov, the hetman of the New Town of Prague, this statue represents St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, who is portrayed here as a young girl.

Statue of St. Cyril and St. Methodius This statue was sculpted by Karel Dvořák between 1928 and 1939 and was erected by the Ministry of education. It portrays the saints Cyril and Methodius (missionaries who introduced Christianity to the Slavs). The original statue of St. Ignatius which stood here, designed by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1711, was displaced by the floods of 1890 and can now be found in the Prague lapidarium.

Statue of St. John the Baptist Sculpted by Josef Max in 1857, at the expenses of Jan Norbert Gemrich of Neuberk, this statue depicts a standing St. John. This replaces a statue by Jan Brokoff, portraying the Baptism of Jesus by St. John, which stood in this position between 1706 and 1848.

Statue of Saints Norbert of Xanten, Wenceslas and Sigismund This statue was designed by Josef Max in 1853, under the patronage of the abbot of Strahov Monastery, Dr. Jeroným Zeidler.

Statue of St. John of Nepomuk This statue is the oldest on the bridge. The original clay design was made by Austrian sculptor Matthias Rauchmüller, based upon a wood model by Jan Brokoff. The statue was then cast in bronze by Volfgang Jeroným Heroldt in Nuremberg. The saint is presented in a traditional way, as a bearded capitulary with a five-star glory, standing on a tripartite base. The base portrays scenes from the life of St. John of Nepomuk, including the confession of Queen Johanna and the saint's death. In 1393 St. John of Nepomuk was thrown from the bridge into the river where he drowned. In modern times it has become traditional to touch the bridge here; this is held to bring good fortune and to ensure that the visitor will return to the city of Prague.

Statue of St. Anthony of Padua Designed by Jan Oldřich Mayer in 1707 and sponsored by Krištof Mořice Withauer, councilor of the Prague Castle burgraviate, this statue represents St. Anthony standing between two vases, holding Jesus.

Statue of St. Jude Thaddeus This sculpture portrays St. Jude holding a rod. It was sculpted by Jan Oldřich Mayer in 1708 and paid for by František Sezima, the knight Mitrovský from Nemyšle and Jeřichovice.

Statue of St. Augustine Designed by Jan Bedřich Kohl in 1708 and paid for by the Augustinian convent of St. Thomas in Prague, this portrays the philosopher holding a hook and a burning heart. He is followed by an angel attempting to pour the sea out of a sea-shell.

Statue of St. Cajetan This statue was sculpted by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1709, and sponsored by the convent of Theatins in Prague. The Saint, founder of the religious order of Theatins, is portrayed holding a book and standing before an obelisk representing the Trinity.

Statue of St. Philip Benitius Designed by Michal Bernard Mandl in 1714, this statue was made from Salzburg marble and donated by the Servites convent in Prague. The statue portrays St. Philip Benitius, fifth general of the Servites, holding a cross, a book and a spray. By his legs there is the crown of the Pope. A clay model of this statue can be found in the Salzburg museum.

Statuary of St. Vitus Sculpted by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1714, this statue was donated by Matěj Vojtěch Macht of Löwenmacht, the dean of the Vyšehrad canonry. St. Vitus is portrayed standing on a base in the shape of cave, from which lions crawl up. The Saint is depicted as a Roman aristocrat, martyred for his faith. Duke Wenceslas acquired a number of his relics to honor the founding of St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. These relics, together with others acquired by Charles IV in 1355, are embedded in the cathedral building.

Statue of the Holy Savior with Cosmas and Damian Designed by Jan Oldřich Mayer in 1709, at the expense of the faculty of medicine, University of Prague, this statue portrays Jesus with the patron saints of medicine placed on either side.

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Saint of the Day for Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 - Saints & Angels

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Saint of the Day for Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 - Saints & Angels

St. Genevieve

St. Genevieve was a fair and courageous peasant girl who was born around 422 in Nanterre, France, to a man named Severus and a woman named Gerontia.

When Genevieve was only seven-years-old, St. … continue reading

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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

Born two years before the American Revolution, Elizabeth grew up in the upper class of New York … continue reading

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St. Martha

“Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus.” This unique statement in John’s gospel tells us of the special relationship Jesus had with Martha, her sister, and her brother.

Apparently Jesus was a frequent guest at Martha’s home in Bethany, a small village two miles from … continue reading

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St. Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel isn’t a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army of God. This is what the title “Archangel” means, that he is above all the others in rank.

St. Michael has four main responsibilities or offices, as we … continue reading

St. Gabriel, the Archangel

St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God to certain people. He is one of the three archangels. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. First, in the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his … continue reading

Saints Fun Facts

St. John of Avila

The Apostle of Andalusia and the spiritual advisor of St. Teresa, St. Francis Borgia, St. John of the Cross, St. Peter of Alcantara, and others. He was born on January 6, 1499, at Almodovar del Campo, Spain. After studying law at the University of Salamanca, he left … continue reading

St. John of Capistrano

St. John was born at Capistrano, Italy in 1385, the son of a former German knight in that city. He studied law at the University of Perugia and practiced as a lawyer in the courts of Naples. King Ladislas of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia. During a war with a … continue reading

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[soccerstl]

Representing #STLsoccer: Pickens, Rudolph, Ream and

Representing #STLsoccer: Pickens, Rudolph, Ream and

My opener in what I anticipate will become a regular effort, a look at the players who are Representing #STLsoccer at the professional level. So Tuesday’s, following the previous weekends games will be the likely day this will appear. We’ll see how much interest you show in the feature. Let’s get this started… Goalkeeper Matt Pickens celebrates 100th appearances for the Tampa Bay Rowdies with…

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Matt Pickens and Tampa Bay Rowdies at Saint Louis FC Tonight

Matt Pickens and Tampa Bay Rowdies at Saint Louis FC Tonight

Goalkeeper Matt Pickens celebrates 100th appearances for the Tampa Bay Rowdies with Ralph’s Mob on Aug 5, 2017. Pic via Rowdies Three years after arriving at the club, goalkeeper Matt Pickens made his 100th appearances for the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night. His teammates then helped make sure he got to celebrate with a shutout, as the Rowdies took a 3-0 victory against the Harrisburg City…

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AAA STL Conference Soccer Double-header

AAA STL Conference Soccer Double-header including @NotreDameRebels, @BorgiaAthletics @FearTheCavalier and @CSD_Eagles

Sr. Lexi Lanzafame, who scored twice, is trailed by Lena Nurnberger and Sydney Castelli in Notre Dame’s 4-1 win on April 16, 2019

I got out Tuesday for a pair of AAA STL Conference matches, a great way to shake off the cobwebs of dealing with IRS paperwork this weekend. I started at Notre Dame where the Rebels were hosting the St. Francis Borgia Knights in a Division I match. That was followed by…

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Saint of the Day for Friday, December 8th, 2017 - Saints & Angels

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Saint of the Day for Friday, December 8th, 2017 - Saints & Angels

St. Romaric

In the account of St Amatus of Remiremont it is related how he brought about the conversion to God of a Merovingian nobleman named Romaric, who became a monk at Luxeuil; and how they afterwards went … continue reading

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St. Juan Diego

Saint Juan Diego was born in 1474 as Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native to Mexico. He became the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.

Following the early death of his father, Juan Diego … continue reading

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68.

St. Juan Diego

Saint Juan Diego was born in 1474 as Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native to Mexico. He became the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.

Following the early death of his father, … continue reading

69.

St. Abigail

St. Abigail, more commonly known as St. Gobnait or Deborah, was a medieval Irish saint born around the 6th century in County Clare, Ireland.

According to tradition, Abigail’s family was … continue reading

70.

St. Angela Merici

St. Angela Merici was an Italian religious educator and founder of the Ursulines whose deep prayer life and relationship with the Lord bore the fruit of mystical encounters with God. She … continue reading

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St. Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel isn’t a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army of God. This is what the title “Archangel” means, that he is above all the others in rank.

St. Michael has four main responsibilities or offices, as we … continue reading

St. Gabriel, the Archangel

St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God to certain people. He is one of the three archangels. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. First, in the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his … continue reading

Saints Fun Facts

St. John of Avila

The Apostle of Andalusia and the spiritual advisor of St. Teresa, St. Francis Borgia, St. John of the Cross, St. Peter of Alcantara, and others. He was born on January 6, 1499, at Almodovar del Campo, Spain. After studying law at the University of Salamanca, he left … continue reading

St. John of Capistrano

St. John was born at Capistrano, Italy in 1385, the son of a former German knight in that city. He studied law at the University of Perugia and practiced as a lawyer in the courts of Naples. King Ladislas of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia. During a war with a … continue reading

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Saint of the Day for Tuesday, November 21st, 2017 - Saints & Angels

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Saint of the Day for Tuesday, November 21st, 2017 - Saints & Angels

St. Gelasius

St. Gelasius I, Pope (Feast day – November 21) Gelasius was born in Rome, in the fifth century, the son of an African named Valerius. Later, ordained a priest, he was elected Pope on March 1st, … continue reading

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St. Cecilia

In the fourth century a Greek religious romance on the Loves of Cecilia and Valerian was written in glorification of virginal life with the purpose of taking the place of then-popular sensual … continue reading

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99.

St. Helena

Empress mother of Constantine the Great. She was a native of Bithynia, who married the then Roman general Constantius I Chlorus about 270. Constantine was born soon after, and in 293, … continue reading

100.

St. Gemma Galgani

Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca. At a very young age, Gemma developed a love for prayer. She made her First Communion on June 17, 1887. As a … continue reading

101.

St. Ambrose

Saint Ambrose, also known as Aurelius Ambrosius, is one of the four original doctors of the Church. He was the Bishop of Milan and became one of the most important theological figure of the … continue reading

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St. Abigail

St. Abigail, more commonly known as St. Gobnait or Deborah, was a medieval Irish saint born around the 6th century in County Clare, Ireland.

According to tradition, Abigail’s family was always feuding. This caused her to run away from home to settle on Inis Oirr in … continue reading

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Angels

St. Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel isn’t a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army of God. This is what the title “Archangel” means, that he is above all the others in rank.

St. Michael has four main responsibilities or offices, as we … continue reading

St. Gabriel, the Archangel

St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God to certain people. He is one of the three archangels. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. First, in the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his … continue reading

Saints Fun Facts

St. John of Avila

The Apostle of Andalusia and the spiritual advisor of St. Teresa, St. Francis Borgia, St. John of the Cross, St. Peter of Alcantara, and others. He was born on January 6, 1499, at Almodovar del Campo, Spain. After studying law at the University of Salamanca, he left … continue reading

St. John of Capistrano

St. John was born at Capistrano, Italy in 1385, the son of a former German knight in that city. He studied law at the University of Perugia and practiced as a lawyer in the courts of Naples. King Ladislas of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia. During a war with a … continue reading

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Saint of the Day for Thursday, October 5th, 2017 - Saints & Angels

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Saint of the Day for Thursday, October 5th, 2017 - Saints & Angels

St. Faustina Kowalska

Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament was born as Helena Kowalska, in Glogowiec, Leczyca County, north-west of Ldz in Poland on August 25, 1905. She was the third of 10 children to … continue reading

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St. Bruno

Bruno was born in Cologne of the prominent Hartenfaust family. He studied at the Cathedral school at Rheims, and on his return to Cologne about 1055, was ordained and became a Canon at St. … continue reading

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20.

St. Padre Pio

St. Padre Pio was an Italian priest who was known for his piety and charity, as well as the gift of the stigmata, which has never been explained.

St. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione, … continue reading

21.

St. Paul

Saint Paul is one of the most important and influential of all the saints. Many of his writings are contained in the Canon of the Bible and have influenced the growth and development of the … continue reading | shop

22.

St. Rose of Lima

Historians remember St. Rose of Lima for her piety and chastity. Born in 1586 in Lima, Peru to Spanish colonists, and named Isabel Flores de Olivia, she was exceptionally beautiful.

Her … continue reading | shop

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Female Saints

St. Cecilia

In the fourth century a Greek religious romance on the Loves of Cecilia and Valerian was written in glorification of virginal life with the purpose of taking the place of then-popular sensual romances. Consequently, until better evidence is produced, we must conclude … continue reading

More Female Saints

Angels

St. Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel isn’t a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army of God. This is what the title “Archangel” means, that he is above all the others in rank.

St. Michael has four main responsibilities or offices, as we … continue reading

St. Gabriel, the Archangel

St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God to certain people. He is one of the three archangels. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. First, in the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his … continue reading

Saints Fun Facts

St. John of Avila

The Apostle of Andalusia and the spiritual advisor of St. Teresa, St. Francis Borgia, St. John of the Cross, St. Peter of Alcantara, and others. He was born on January 6, 1499, at Almodovar del Campo, Spain. After studying law at the University of Salamanca, he left … continue reading

St. John of Capistrano

St. John was born at Capistrano, Italy in 1385, the son of a former German knight in that city. He studied law at the University of Perugia and practiced as a lawyer in the courts of Naples. King Ladislas of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia. During a war with a … continue reading

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