John of Nepomuk
John of Nepomuk, also called John Nepomucene (c. 1345 – 20 March 1393), was a Bohemian clergyman. Due to his loyalty to Archbishop Jan of Jenštejn in a dispute with the Bohemian crown, he was executed by King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia by being thrown into the Vltava.
In the decades following his death, a cult grew around John's life and death based on fabulous hagiographies and alleged miraculous healings. He was canonized in 1729, and is considered a martyr of the Seal of the Confessional. He is also a patron against calumnies and a protector from floods and drowning.
Patron saint of Bohemia, San Juan, Batangas, Malibay, Pasay; Alfonso, Cavite; Moalboal, Cebu; San Remigio, Cebu; Cabiao, Spanish Navy Marines, Prague, Slavonski Brod, Omiš
In the Martyrology
- March 20 Saint John of Nepomuk, priest and martyr at Prague