Saint Francis Xavier, Religious statue on Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic
The statue of Francis Xavier by Ferdinand Brokoff stands on the south side of Charles Bridge in Prague. It shows the saint with four figures at the base, including a Tartar with two swords, a Moor, a Chinese figure and an Indian. The sandstone group was made in 1711.
Ferdinand Brokoff made the statue of Saint Francis Xavier in 1711 for the south side of Charles Bridge in Prague. The Jesuit missionary died in 1552 on Shangchuan Island while sailing toward China. The sandstone group stands among the bridge's series of Baroque saints.
The base group shows Francis Xavier baptising a kneeling pagan prince, with a figure holding a shell above him. The four figures around the pedestal stand for the peoples his mission reached: a Tartar, a Moor, a Chinese man and an Indian. The scene condenses the Jesuit missionary's Asian journeys into one carved tableau.
The sculpture stands on the southern side of Charles Bridge and can be easily located as it occupies a prominent position along the bridge's path. Since it is an outdoor monument, it is accessible at any time during your walk across the bridge connecting the castle district to the old town.
The four figures at the base are usually read as a Tartar with two swords, a Moor, a Chinese figure and an Indian, placed there to show the reach of Francis Xavier's missions. The group was carved by Ferdinand Brokoff as part of the 1711 monument on the bridge's south side.
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