John of Nepomuk
John of Nepomuk (or
John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393)
was a
saint of
Bohemia (a western part of what is now the
Czech Republic) who was drowned in the
Vltava river at the behest of King
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. 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 and drowning.
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