Saint John of Nepomuk

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. John of Nepomuk was born between 1340–50 in Bohemia. His birthplace was the village Pomuk, now Nepomuk in the Czech Republic. John's father was Velflín, a diminutive form of Wolfgang. John attended the University of Prague. In 1378, he was appointed notary to the archbishop. He studied canon law at the University of Padua from 1383 to 1387. In 1393, he was made vicar-general of Saint Giles Cathedral by Jan of Jenštejn, Archbishop of Prague.: 7  Jenštejn was under the supervision of Pope Boniface IX in Rome. King Wenceslaus IV supported the Avignon papacy and Antipope Clement VII. In 1393, Wenceslaus wanted to absorb the revenue of the Benedictine abbey in Kladruby. Jenštejn opposed the plan. The outraged King summoned Jenštejn and his subordinates, where they were arrested. Jenštejn escaped, but John and three others were captured and tortured. John was the only one who remained loyal to Archbishop Jenštejn. On March 20, Wenceslaus had John thrown from the Charles Bridge into the Vltava, a standard method of execution for criminal clergy. It has been suggested that the King's tortures actually killed John and the disposal of his corpse in the river was an attempt to disguise the cause of his death. John's body was discovered three days later and taken to a nearby church. When Wenceslaus left for his country estate, John was interred in St. Vitus Cathedral, a direct affront to the King.