Sculpture of St. John of Matha, St. Felix of Valois, and St. John the Hermit

The multi-figural sculpture of St. John of Matha, St. Felix of Valois, and St. John the Hermit was commissioned from Johann Brokoff’s workshop by Count Franz Joseph Thun on behalf of the Trinitarian monastery in Prague, and installed in 1714. St. John of Matha and St. Felix of Valois were the founders of the Trinitarian Order, or the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Ransom of Captives, established for the purpose of ransoming Christians from pagan captivity. Through a complex iconographic theme, the sculpture visually conveys the order’s mission. The pedestal of the dramatic scene is depicted as a locked dungeon with Christian captives, watched over by a Turkish guard with a dog, a whip (originally a spear) and a saber. St. John, with the attribute of broken chains, and St. Felix, with the figure of a freed captive, appear here in their redemptive roles; the stag with a golden cross is a reminder of the legend of the monastery’s founding. The figure of St. John at the highest point of the sculpture group was likely included in the overall design at the donor’s request. His contribution to the creation of the sculpture group is commemorated by a pair of family coats of arms, which, together with a relief depicting an angel freeing a captive, form part of an interestingly shaped section in the central part of the sculpture.