Sculpture of St. Cristopher

The sculpture of St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers, drivers and sailors, and protector during storms and floods, was commissioned by representatives of the Prague clergy and Mayor Václav Vaňka. The sculpture was meant to replace the former military armory, which collapsed, fully manned, into the river during the floods of 1784. The author, Prague sculptor Emanuel Max, finished the work in 1857. Funds were raised through a public collection. The figure of the saint, wading in the water with infant Jesus on his left shoulder, leaning heavily on a gnarled staff, is the only Charles Bridge sculpture from the 19th century that depicts the figures in motion and in more lively interaction. The historicist pedestal is divided at the corners by clusters of twisted columns.