Saint John of Nepomuk is a Czech patron, but his glory exceeds our homeland. The Czech Mint dedicated him a three-piece set of silver coins on the occasion of the anniversary of canonization in 1729.

John of Nepomuk was the queen's confessor.  John refused the king when he tried to find out his mistress's secret. Even the torture did not convince him, so the king let him push down from the Charles Bridge and drown. The faithful people who found his body buried him. A miracle - a preserved tongue that once refused to speak - was found out when the place was explored three centuries later. Just a legend, but what do the historians and anthropologists say? John was captured and tortured for political reasons according to historian's findings. He belonged to a group gathered around an archbishop whose power threatened the sovereign. John probably could not even perform a confidential court function as the Queen's confessor because of this hostility. The saint died already during torture according to anthropological findings and only his dead body was thrown into the Vltava River. And the legendary tongue did not decayed. It is said to be the remains of mummified brain tissue ... Whatever the truth, one thing is certain - the legend of the czech saint patron has been for centuries a source of inspiration, strength and courage for anyone who wants to believe.

The medal maker Lenka Nebeská, DiS became the author of three coins that commemorate the martyrdom, beatification and canonization of John of Nepomuk. The reverse side of the first coin depicts the overthrow of a martyr from the Charles Bridge. " John of Nepomuk as a patron with his attributes became the dominant feature of the reverse side of the second coin. The attributes are the halo, the cross and the palm leaf. Stylized waves and fish are at his feet as a symbol of silence and Jesus Christ. The depiction of the bridge and the water refers to the fate of John of Nepomuk, but it is also a symbol of the protection of fishermen, sailors and bridges, as well as flood aid. The angel holding the lock and putting his index finger to the mouth represents a confessional mystery," the author explains. The reverse side of the third coin presents a forefinger attached to his mouth - this time, however, the silent gesture is reserved by the saint himself. The obverse side of all three coins presents the necessary attributes of the island of Niue, whose foreign license allows the Czech Mint to embosse its own commemorative coins. The attributes are the name and the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the year of the issue 2019 and the nominal value of 2 DOLLARS (NZD). The five gold-plated stars, which appeared above the surface of the Vltava River when John of Nepomuk last exhaled, are the common element of all the coins.

Five stars form the saint's characteristic halo and they can also be found on the lid of a luxurious wooden box in which the set of coins is stored. The stars are accompanied by the letters that present the Latin word TACUI - "I kept silent."