Jun 27 2008
Statue of St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi statue was made in 1855 by Emanuel Max and donated by count František Antonín Kolowrat Liebsteinský. This sculpture was installed in Charles Bridge to replace a similar statue designed in 1708 by František Preis. The first Roman Catholic martyr St. Francis of Assisi is incorporated into the Bohemian liturgy, he is standing with two neoclassic angels, on a pseudo-baroque base. St. Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of the environment, animals, birds in Italy, and Catholic churches usually hold ceremonies on his feast day of October 4 by honoring animals. Many of legends and stories sorrounding life of St Francis deal with his love for animals and exemplify the Franciscan mode of charity and poverty as well as the saint’s love of the natural world.
