John Nepomucene Saint (ca. 1340 - 1393)

RA Collection: People and Organisations

JOHN NEPOMUCENE Also known as: John of Nepomuk; John Wolflin; Martyr of the Confessional Memorial: 16 May Profile: While a child, he was cured by the prayers of his parents; they then consecrated him to God. Priest. Great preacher who converted thousands. Vicar-general of Prague. Counselor and advocate of the poor in the court of King Wenceslaus IV. Refused several bishoprics. Confessor to the queen, and taught her to bear the cross of her ill-tempered husband the king. Imprisoned for refusing to disclose the queen’s confession to the king. When he continued to honor the seal of the confessional, he was ordered executed. Symbol of Bohemian nationalism. His image has been used in art as a symbol of the sacrament of Confession, and many bridges in Europe bear his likeness as their protector. Born: c.1340 as John Wolflin at Nepomuk, Bohemia Died: burned, then tied to a wheel and thrown off a bridge into the Moldau River on 20 March 1393; on the night of his death, seven stars hovered over the placed where he drowned Beatified: 31 May 1721 by Pope Innocent XIII Canonized: 19 March 1729 Name Meaning: God is gracious ( = John) Patronage: against calumnies, against indiscretions, against slander, Bohemia, bridge builders, bridges, confessors, Czechoslovakia, discretion, floods, good confession, running water, silence