Martin Dobrović or Martin Dubravić (1599–1621) was a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

. After finishing his education in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

, he became a

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

Ivanić Grad Ivanić ( sr-Cyrl, Иванић, ) is a Croatian and Serbian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Delfa Ivanić (1881–1972), Serbian painter, humanitarian and writer * Dragutin Ivanić, Croatian pilot * Dušan Ivanić (born 1946), ...

and later became a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb (; ) is the central Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Dražen Kutleša. It ...

Early life and education

Born in a Serbian Orthodox Christian family, Dobrović was born to parents who had migrated from

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

to what is now modern-day

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. Later, his family converted to Catholicism. With a recommendation from the Bishop of Ljubljana, Thomas Chrön, the Catholic church educated him as a priest at a school in

. He studied there from 1599 to 1608. As a student of literature, he wrote a song entitled ''Eidem,'' () which was published in 1601. After graduating, Dobrović became parson of

Ivanić Ivanić ( sr-Cyrl, Иванић, ) is a Croatian and Serbian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Delfa Ivanić (1881–1972), Serbian painter, humanitarian and writer * Dragutin Ivanić, Croatian pilot * Dušan Ivanić (born 1946), ...

and chaplain of the German Military Garrison in

Conversion of Orthodox Serbians to Catholicism

Grad, Dobrović actively tried to convert Orthodox Serbians, who had migrated from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

to Catholicism. He began his endeavors before Simeon Vratanja was appointed as the bishop of Marča. In 1609, Dobrović was authorized by the Roman Catholic Pope,

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...

, to convert Orthodox Serbians to the Catholic faith. Dobrović convinced Simeon Vratanja to accept the

Eastern Catholicism The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

and to recognize the Pope's jurisdiction over Eastern Catholic dioceses. In 1611, Dobrović and Vretanja traveled to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

together. Simeon met with the Pope and formally accepted Eastern Catholicism. In March 1613, in Marča Monastery, Dobrović and Simeon had a meeting with several notable Serbian

dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and tried to convince them to convert to Catholicism and to accept the oversight of the

. Dobrović recommended Matija Sumer from

to be educated as a Catholic priest. Hrvoje Petrić, ''Katolička obnova i konfesionalne tolerancije'', Zagreb, p. 59 Dobrović died in 1621.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrovic, Martin Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Serbian Orthodox Christians 1621 deaths Habsburg Serbs 17th-century Croatian Roman Catholic priests 17th-century Serbian Roman Catholic priests Clergy from Graz People of the Military Frontier Croatian military chaplains 1599 births