Jan Philopon Dambrovský

Jan Philopon Dambrovský (1540 – 1586/1587), also known as Joannes Philopon Dambrowski, was a 16th-century Roman Catholic priest and dean of the Olomouc chapter, responsible for the poisoning of four bishops.

Accusations At the end of 1585, Bishop Stanislav Pavlovský accused Dambrovský of poisoning several of his predecessors and some candidates for the episcopal see. While the church was investigating these claims, he was imprisoned at Hukvaldy Castle after he refused to proclaim his innocence. At one point, he unsuccessfully tried to escape.

The court documents themselves have either not been preserved or are kept in the Vatican Apostolic Archive, however, it is clear that Dambrovský confessed to poisoning four bishops during interrogations, starting with Vilém Prusinovský z Víckova and ending with Jan Mezoun z Telče. On February 3, 1586, he was found guilty of the murders by an Olomouc ecclesiastical court and deprived of his priesthood, honours and benefits.

Stanislav Pavlovský apparently hesitated for a long time before deciding how to deal with the disgraced former priest, who used his time to write various defences. In the end, Pavlovský decided to hand him over for execution. On 20 July 1586, he sent two Jesuits to Hukvaldy to interrogate Dambrovský. The exact date of his execution is unknown, however, in the Olomouc Book of Půhon, a "Priest Philopon" is recorded.