Martin Dobrović


Martin Dobrović or Martin Dubravić was a Catholic priest. After finishing his education in Graz, he became parsel of Ivanić Grad and later became a canon in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb.

Early life and Education

A Serbian Orthodox Christian, Dobrović was born to parents who had migrated from Bosnia to what is now modern-day Croatia. Dobrović then converted to Catholicism and thanks to the recommendations of Ljubljana's bishop Thomas Chrön, the Catholic church educated him as a priest at a school in Graz. He was a student there between 1599 - 1608. As a student of literature, he wrote a songe entitled Eidem, which was published in 1601.. Dobrović was parsel of Ivanić and Chaplain of the German Military Garrison in Ivanić.

Conversion of Orthodox Serbians to Catholicism

As parsel of Ivanić Grad, Dobrović actively tried to convert Orthodox Serbians, who had migrated from the Ottoman Empire, to Catholicism. He began his endeavors before Simeon Vretanja was appointed as the bishop of Marča. In 1609, Dobrović was authorized by the Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Paul V, to convert Orthodox Serbians to the Catholic faith. Dobrović convinced Simeon Vretanja to recognize the Pope's jurisdiction and to accept the Eastern Catholicism. In 1611, Dobrović and Vretanja travelled to Rome together. Simeon met with the Pope and formally accepted Eastern Catholicism. In March 1613, in Marča Monastery, Dobrović had a meeting with Simeon and several notable Serbian voivode and tried to convince them to convert to Catholicism and to accept the oversight of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb. Dobrović recommended Matija Sumer from Ivanić to be educated as a Catholic priest.
Dobrović died in 1621.