Saint John and the Village

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between a religious object and a local community. The small sacral objects is a most well researched topic in relation with the Hungarians in Slovakia. Nevertheless, we do not have enough case studies when it comes to particular objects such as crosses, statues etc. In this study, the renovated statue of St. John of Nepomuk in the village of Ebed (Obid) is analyzed in its social context. The findings suggest that (1) there is a very close relationship between religious and local (but not ethnic) identities, (2) various layers of collective and individual meanings create a „field” around St. Johns’ statue, (3) more or less „static” meanings and features can change if they are prompted by extraordinary events, and that (4) the topic of small sacral objects is more complex than it seems at first sight.