Św. Jan Nepomucen jako katolicki bohater kulturowy

Abstract

In ethnography some figures are defined as cultural heroes. Such a hero, in view of the features of his character, plays the role of a mediator between the sacred and the profane. For me, numerous saints of the Roman Catholic Church are such heroes. Certain saints carried in them “cultural” content, which could be well perceived by local communities. This concerns in particular the saints, who could be considered as guardians of an existential character. Peasants of many European regions found in St. John of Nepomuk an effective advocate against the dangerous element of water. This was also the case in the Prussian – Lithuanian border area, which is of particular interest to me. Historians associate the popularity of his cult as a result of the Saint’s connection with the dangerous element of water. St John of Nepomuk was first of all the patron saint against drowning, but also against ill-fated accidents. People earning their living from water had an advocate in him. An increasing number of folk art examples constituted an attempt to transfer the image of the saint from temples to the vicinity of a daily used river crossing or to a village roadside shrine. In Poland peasants believed in the saint’s guardianship over, i.a., meadows, fields and crops.