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St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia
Czech VACLAV; Greek VENIZELOS
X Century
The patron saint of
Bohemia since the XI Century, Duke Wenceslaus
(Vaclav) was born c. 907 and
became a Christian through the influence of his grandmother,
Ludmilla.
When his father died c. 922,
Wenceslaus become Duke of Bohemia, with his mother Drahomira, who
supported pagans in the kingdom, as regent. Two
years later, Wenceslaus assumed full power and began to pursue
pro-German policies to prevent the larger country from invading Bohemia.
He recognized Henry I the Fowler as his overlord, an act that may have
inspired Boleslav (Wenceslaus' younger brother) to murder him
c. 929.
Three
years later, after many reports of miracles at Wenceslaus' tomb,
Boleslav translated his brother's relics to Prague, where they rested
with the arm of St. Vitus. Considered a saint immediately in Bohemia,
Wenceslaus also had a cult in mediæval England.
Karen Rae Keck