John of Nepomuk
John of Nepomuk | |
|---|---|
| Martyr | |
| Born | c.1345 Nepomuk |
| Died | 20 March 1393 (aged 47–48) Prague |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church
Czechoslovak Hussite Church Lutheranism Anglican Communion |
| Beatified | 31 May 1721, Rome by Pope Innocent XIII |
| Canonized | 19 March 1729, Rome by Pope Benedict XIII |
| Feast | 20 March; 16 May |
| Attributes | halo with five stars, cross, bridge, angel indicating silence by a finger over the lips, priest's biretta |
| Patronage | confessors, mariners, raftsmen, millers, sievers, bridges, against hazards by water, for discretion; Bohemia, San Juan, Batangas, Malibay, Pasay; Alfonso, Cavite; Moalboal, Cebu; San Remigio, Cebu; Cabiao, Spanish Navy Marines, Prague, Slavonski Brod, Omiš |
John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (Czech: Jan Nepomucký; German: Johannes Nepomuk; Latin: Ioannes Nepomucenus) (c. 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia. He was executed by King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia for disobedience. John was thrown into the Vltava river.
A legend grew that John was executed for refusing to divulge the secrets of the Queen's confession to Wenceslaus. This fiction made John of Nepomuk the martyr of the Seal of the Confessional. He is also a patron against calumnies and a protector from floods and drowning.