14. století
John of Nepomuk
Clergyman, Catholic martyr and later patron saint of Bohemia
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He was the vicar-general of the Prague diocese and he later became involved in the quarrels between emperor Wenceslas IV and Jan of Jenstein, Archbishop of Prague. His loyalty to the Archbishop brought him a martyr’s death.
John of Nepomuk was born into the family of a local reeve around 1340 in the village of Pomuk, which belonged to a nearby Cistercian abbey. He completed his basic education at a parochial school, and later studied at the Prague University. In 1369 he became a notary in Prague and
between 1383 and 1387 he studied ecclesiastical law in Padua. Upon his return he became canon of the Vysehrad chapter and Vicar-General of the Prague Archbishop, Jan of Jenstein. As his loyal follower, he later became involved in the intense dispute between the King and the Archbishop regarding the limits of temporal and ecclesiastical power. For this, he paid the highest price. On March 20th, 1393 John of Nepomuk died under torture by the King’s soldiers. His body was thrust into the Vltava river.
