Prague’s castle complex is one of the beauties of this Bohemian city. It also contains a spooky statue of a skeletal rotting corpse, a woman with frogs and snakes entwined in the bones of her skeleton. Weird, but not as strange as the story surrounding it.

Inside the castle grounds, duck into the corridor on the far side of the outer courtyard. When you stop marvelling at the sight of the gothic St Vitius Cathedral, walk around it. The Basilica of St George is right behind the cathedral – in bold red.

The building dates back to 920 but has been reconstructed many times since then. Inside, the rulers of an ancient Bohemian dynasty are buried; it is an important monument for the country.

The raised altar sits just above a large alcove where the choir would be positioned in days of old. There, in the choir, you can see the statue of this dead woman, quietly watching over the musty atmosphere of this unaired room. (You may need to squint and let your eyes adjust to the lower light levels to see it clearly)

Legend has it that this is the statue of Brigita. She was a poor girl from Prague’s Lesser Town district which sits under the shadow of the castle. Brigita fell in love with an Italian sculptor working in the castle at the time. The two married quickly and had a happy life together.

The Italian, whose name is not recorded, had to travel at length. While away, he began to worry about his wife’s fidelity. Jealous neighbours soon circulated rumours convincing the sculptor she was two-timing him.

He returned, killed her and hid the body. He was immediately suspected and a search revealed her rotting corpse. Under interrogation, he confessed to her murder. Before they convicted him, his last wish was to sculpt her exactly as she was found.

And that is why he immortalised her in this fashion.