One of my photography colleagues and long-time friends teased me a bit about going to Ohio to find churches -- but the joke's on him! Some of my very favorite churches I have been to so far were ones I found in Cleveland, Ohio.
Definitely among those was the St. John Nepomucene Church. It is actually historically a Czech church. St. John Nepomucene, or Nepomuk, is a 14th century Bohemian saint. (Bohemia is now the Czech Republic, and St. John is the patron saint of Bohemia.) In childhood, he was cured of a disease through the prayers of his parents, who then consecrated him to the service of God in thanks. He studied in Italy, and once ordained, was sent to a parish in Prague. He served faithfully, converting many, and eventually became the Queen's confessor.
St. John met a rather grisly end at the hands of King Wenceslaus IV, after he defied the wishes of the king and favored the traditions of the church in running the affairs of the church.
Catholic legend contends that St. John Nepomuk was killed for failure to divulge to the king any confessions of his wife, Queen Sophia. These stories have been proven false, but the murder of John of Nepomuk named him a martyr for the church, called "the martyr of the confessional." His sainted name is evoked against floods and slander.
He was canonized in 1729. His feast day is May 16th.
As far as his church is concerned, there are some truly stunning elements. The altarpiece is wonderful, and one of these days I'll do a post on some of the gorgeous stained glass windows.
