John of Nepomuk
Statue of John of Nepomuk on Charles Bridge, Prague
Martyr
Born	c. Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a famous historical Bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. 1345, Nepomuk
Died	March 20, 1393, Prague
Beatified	May 31, 1721
Canonized	March 19, 1729 by Benedict XIII
Feast	May 16
Attributes	halo of five stars, palm, priestly dress, cross, angel indicating silence by a finger over the lips
Patronage	Bohemia
Saints Portal

John of Nepomuk or John Nepomucene (Czech: Jan Nepomucký) (c. Nepomuk (ˈnɛpomʊk Pomuk is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed via Greek μακάριος makarios) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic church Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1721 ( MDCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1729 ( MDCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Pope Benedict XIII ( February 2, 1649 &ndash February 21, 1730) born Pietro Francesco Orsini, later Vincenzo Maria Orsini The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Christianity has used symbols from its very beginnings Each Saint has a story and a reason why he or she led an exemplary life The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the 1345 – March 20, 1393)^[1] is a national saint of Bohemia, drowned in river Vltava at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the The Vltava ( Moldau is the longest River in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, Wenceslaus (also Wenceslas, Wenzel Václav Venceslao February 26, 1361 – August 16 1419) called the Drunkard, was Later accounts state that he was the confessor of the queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. On the basis of this account, John of Nepomuk is considered the first martyr of the Seal of the Confessional, a patron against calumnies and, because of the manner of his death, a protector from floods. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom This article concerns a doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church only A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge ^[1]

Basic biographical information

Jan Velflín (Welflin, Wölflin) z Pomuku was born in the small market town of Pomuk in Bohemia, later renamed Nepomuk, which belonged to the nearby Cistercian abbey. Nepomuk (ˈnɛpomʊk Pomuk is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. He was born in the decade 1340-1349, and he first studied at the University of Prague, then furthered his studies in canon law at the University of Padua from 1383 to 1387. Canon Law, the Ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system with all the necessary elements courts lawyers judges a fully articulated Padua ( Padova 'padova Latin: Patavium, Padoa) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy. In 1393 he was made the vicar-general of John of Jenštejn (1348-1400), who was the Archbishop of Prague from 1378 to 1396. In the same year, on March 20, he was tortured and thrown into the river Vltava from Charles Bridge in Prague at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia (as Wenceslaus IV). Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. The Vltava ( Moldau is the longest River in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a famous historical Bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Wenceslaus (also Wenceslas, Wenzel Václav Venceslao February 26, 1361 – August 16 1419) called the Drunkard, was

At issue was the appointment of a new abbot for the rich and powerful Benedictine Abbey of Kladruby; its abbot was a territorial magnate whose resources would be crucial to Wenceslaus in his struggles with nobles. The word abbot, meaning Father, is a title given to the head of a Monastery in various traditions including Christianity. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in See other places named Kladruby. Kladruby (Kladrau is a town in the Czech Republic, in the region of Plzeň, near the town Wenceslaus at the same time was backing the Avignon papacy, whereas the Archbishop of Prague followed its rival, the pope at Rome. In the History of the Roman Catholic Church, the Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1377 during which seven Popes all French, resided in Avignon Contrary to the wishes of Wenceslaus, John confirmed the archbishop's candidate for Abbot of Kladruby, and was drowned on the emperor's orders, March 20, 1393.

This account is based on four contemporary documents. The first is the accusation of the king, presented to Pope Boniface IX on April 23, 1393, by Archbishop John of Jenštejn, who went immediately to Rome together with the new abbot of Kladruby ^[2]. Pope Boniface IX (1356 &ndash October 1, 1404) born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November

A few years later Abbott Ladolf of Sagan lists him in the catalog of Sagan abbots, completed in 1398 ^[3], as well as in the treatise "De longævo schismate", lib. VII, c. xix ^[4].

A further document is the "Chronik des Deutschordens", a chronicle of the Teutonic Order compiled by John of Posilge, who died in 1405 ^[5].

In the above accusation John of Jenštejn already calls John of Nepomuk, “saint martyr”. In the biography of the bishop, written by his chaplain, John of Nepomuk is described as "gloriosum Christi martyrem miraculisque coruscum. " Therefore the vicar put to death for defending the laws and the autonomy of the Catholic Church was revered as a saint right after his death.

Later accounts

Much additional biographical information is due to Bohemian annalists, who wrote 60 or more years after the events. Although they may have taken advantage of sources not available today, their contribution is considered legendary by many historians, particularly by the Protestant ones.

• In his chronicle Chronica regum Romanorum, completed in 1459, Thomas Ebendorfer (d. 1464) states that King Wenceslaus had drowned the confessor of his wife, indicated as Magister Jan, because he had stated that only the one who rules properly deserves the name of king and had refused to betray the seal of Confession. This article concerns a doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church only This is the first source to mention this refusal as the true motivation of the condemnation of John of Nepomuk.
• In his Instructions for the King, completed in 1471, Paul Zidek provides further details ^[6]. King Venceslaus was afraid that his wife had a lover. As she was used to confessing to Magister Jan, he ordered him to tell the name of the lover, but to no avail. Therefore the king ordered John to be drowned. Note that in these chronicles neither the date of the events, nor the name of the queen is mentioned.
• In 1483 John of Krumlov, dean of St. Vitus cathedral, states that the Saint died in 1383 (exactly one century before, maybe due to a copying error)^[7][7]. As the first wife of Venceslaus died in 1386, this change of date also causes uncertainty about the name of the queen^[8].

The mistake of John of Krumlov crept into the Annales Bohemorum^[9] of Wenceslaus Hajek von Liboczan (cs:Vaclav Hajek z Libočan, dead in 1553), the Bohemian Livy. He suggested that two Jan di Nepomuks may have existed and have been killed by King Wenceslaus. The first one is the queen's confessor, who died in 1383; the other the vicar of the archbishop, who disagreed with the king on the election of the abbot of Kladruby and was drowned in 1393. As Hajek's annals enjoyed a wide success, they influenced all subsequent historians for two centuries, up to the Latin edition, critically annotated by the translator, which considerably reduced Hayek's credit as a reliable historian.

Further and less reliable details about John of Nepomuk are provided by the annalists of the XVII and XVIII centuries. Boleslaus Balbinus, S. Bohuslav Balbín ( December 3, 1621, Hradec Králové – November 28, 1688, Prague) was a Czech writer and J. , in his Vita b. Joannis Nepomuceni martyris ^[10] gives the most rich account.

Although the theory of Hajek von Liboczan has no credit today, some historians believe the refusal of betraying the seal of confession might have been the secret reason why Wenceslaus took vengeance on John of Nepomuk as soon as a credible excuse provided the opportunity.

A controversial figure

Monument on Cathedral Island in Wrocław, Poland

John of Nepomuk is seen by Catholics as a martyr to the cause of defending the Seal of the Confessional, by romantic nationalists as a Czech martyr to imperial interference, and by most historians as a victim of a late version of the inveterate investiture controversy between secular rulers and the catholic hierarchy. Wrocław (Breslau Vratislav Vratislavia or Wratislavia Yiddish: ברעסלוי) is the chief City of the historical region of Lower Silesia Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This article concerns a doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church only Romantic nationalism (also National Romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of Nationalism in which the state derives The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was an 11th century dispute between Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor and Pope Gregory VII over

The connection of John of Nepomuk with the inviolability of the confessional is part of the transformation of an historical figure into a legend, which can be traced through successive stages. The priest penitent privilege, also known as the clergy privilege, is an application of the principle of Privileged communication that protects the contents of communications The archbishop, who hastened to Rome soon after the crime, in his charge against Wenceslaus, called the victim a martyr; in the vita written a few years later miracles are already recorded, by which the drowned man was discovered. In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated Bishop. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others this means that they lead About the middle of the fifteenth century the statement appears for the first time that the refusal to violate the seal of confession was the cause of John's death. Two decades later (1471), the dean of Prague, Paul Zidek, makes John the queen's confessor. The unscrupulous chronicler Wenceslaus Hajek speaks in 1541 (probably owing to carelessness in the use of his sources) of two Johns of Nepomuk being drowned; the first as confessor, the second for his confirmation of the abbot.

The place on the bridge parapet where John of Nepomuk was thrown into the Vltava. The Vltava ( Moldau is the longest River in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov,

The legend is especially indebted for its growth to the Jesuit historiographer Boleslaus Balbinus the "Bohemian Pliny,", whose Vita beati Joannis Nepomuceni martyris was published in Prague, 1670. Bohuslav Balbín ( December 3, 1621, Hradec Králové – November 28, 1688, Prague) was a Czech writer and Although the Prague metropolitan chapter did not accept the biography dedicated to it, "as being frequently destitute of historical foundation and erroneous, a bungling work of mythological rhetoric", Balbinus stuck to it. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. In 1683 the Charles Bridge was adorned with a statue of the saint, which has had numerous successors; in 1708 the first church was dedicated to him at Hradec Králové; a more famous Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk was founded in 1719. Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a famous historical Bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Hradec Králové ( pronounced, Königgrätz meaning Castle of the Queen) is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora (Gruneberg in Žďár nad Sázavou, near the border between Bohemia and Moravia, is the

Meanwhile, in spite of the objection of the Jesuits, the process was inaugurated which ended with his canonization. Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints On May 31, 1721, he was beatified, and on March 19, 1729, he was canonized under Pope Benedict XIII. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1721 ( MDCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1729 ( MDCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Pope Benedict XIII ( February 2, 1649 &ndash February 21, 1730) born Pietro Francesco Orsini, later Vincenzo Maria Orsini The acts of the process, comprising 500 pages, distinguish two Johns of Nepomuk and sanction the cult of the one who was drowned in 1383 as a martyr of the sacrament of penance. This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus

According to some protestant sources the figure of St. John Nepomuk is a legend due to Jesuits and its historical kernel is really Jan Hus, who was metamorphosed from a Bohemian Reformer into a Roman Catholic saint: the Nepomuk story would be based on Wenceslaus Hajek's blending of the Jan who was drowned in 1393 and the Jan who was burned in 1415. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Jan Hus ( (ˈjan ˈɦus alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c Jan Hus ( (ˈjan ˈɦus alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c The resemblances are certainly striking, extending to the manner of celebrating their commemorations. But when the Jesuits came to Prague, the Nepomuk worship had long been widespread; and the idea of canonization originated in opposition not to the Hussites, but to Protestantism, as a weapon of the Counter-Reformation. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus or John Huss (c Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the In the image of the saint which gradually arose, the religious history of Bohemia is reflected.

The cult

The figure of Saint John of Nepomuk is often encountered in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Poland and Lithuania. He is usually portrayed with a halo of five stars, commemorating the stars that hovered over the Vltava River on the night of his murder. A halo (ἅλως also known as a nimbus, Aureole, glory, or gloriole) is a ring of light that surrounds a person in art The Vltava ( Moldau is the longest River in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, Other attributes useful to identify his pictures are: a priestly dress, the palm of martyrs, carrying a cross, an angel indicating silence by a finger over the lips. His tomb, a Baroque monument cast in silver and silver-gilt that was designed by Fischer von Erlach, stands in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Fischer von Erlach links here For other uses see Fischer von Erlach (disambiguation. Saint Vitus's Cathedral (Katedrála svatého Víta is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. A statue of Saint John of Nepomuk has often been erected on bridges in many countries. such as on Ponte Milvio in Rome.

Notes

Tomb in St Vitus Cathedral

The Drowning John of Nepomuk bas-relief on the monument in Otyń, Poland

External links

• The "official" page of John of Nepomuk
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1910): "St. John Nepomucene" This provides a Catholic point of view
• Christian Classics Ethereal Library at Calvin College: "John of Nepomuk" This provides a Protestant point of view. Saint Vitus's Cathedral (Katedrála svatého Víta is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. It was also the source of the unitial version of this article.