Martin Dobrović

Born in a Serbian[2] Orthodox Christian family, Dobrović was born to parents who had migrated from Bosnia to what is now modern-day Croatia.[3][4] Later, his family converted to Catholicism.[5] With a recommendation from the Bishop of Ljubljana, Thomas Chrön, the Catholic church educated him as a priest at a school in Graz.[3][5] He studied there from 1599 to 1608.[6] As a student of literature, he wrote a song entitled Eidem, (Latin: Litterarum humaniorum studiosus) which was published in 1601.[7] After graduating, Dobrović became parson of Ivanić and chaplain of the German Military Garrison in Ivanić.[8]

As parson of Ivanić Grad, Dobrović actively tried to convert Orthodox Serbians, who had migrated from the Ottoman Empire to Catholicism.[3] He began his endeavors before Simeon Vratanja was appointed as the bishop of Marča.[9] In 1609, Dobrović was authorized by the Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Paul V, to convert Orthodox Serbians to the Catholic faith.[3][9] Dobrović convinced Simeon Vratanja to accept the Eastern Catholicism and to recognize the Pope's jurisdiction over Eastern Catholic dioceses.[10][11] In 1611, Dobrović and Vretanja traveled to Rome together. Simeon met with the Pope and formally accepted Eastern Catholicism.[12] In March 1613, in Marča Monastery, Dobrović and Simeon had a meeting with several notable Serbian dukes and tried to convince them to convert to Catholicism and to accept the oversight of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb.[13][14] Dobrović recommended Matija Sumer from Ivanić to be educated as a Catholic priest.[15]

Dobrović died in 1621.[16]