WENCESLAUS OF BOHEMIA

On October 11 (September 28) the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Wenceslaus of Bohemia (907-935). A pious prince, Christian educator and martyr, the saint is revered as the patron saint of the Czech Republic and the Slavic lands. His name, Vaclav in Czech, Vyacheslav in Russian, comes from the Slavic word for “great glory”.

The Slavic peoples of that time were going through a period of Christianization, but the resistance to evangelization from the pagans was very great. In Bohemia, a historical region of the Czech Republic, where Wenceslaus was one of the ruling princes, Christian faith was spread from two sources: the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius from neighboring Great Moravia and the German-Latin mission, the center of which was then the diocese of the German city of Regensburg on the Danube.

The uniqueness of Saint Wenceslaus was that, unlike most Slavic rulers of that time, he was a sincerely believing Christian, was deeply educated and equally belonged to and drew from two sources of evangelization. Tradition says that he knew Greek and grew wine for the liturgy himself. In Prague, he built the famous Cathedral of St. Vitus, which was rebuilt over time and over the centuries acquired its majestic contours.

The pagan party accused the saint of “giving all power to the priests.” Wenceslaus’ younger brother, Boleslav, who ruled in a neighboring principality, took advantage of others’ discontent and plotted. He invited his brother to the consecration of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian and, knowing that he had a habit of going to church alone for midnight services, he himself attacked him with weapons in his hands.

Virtue did not mean weakness; Wenceslaus threw his treacherous brother to the ground and, as a sign of forgiveness, returned his sword. But three of the traitor’s companions killed the prince. The saint’s body was placed in the Prague Cathedral he had built. Boleslav was shocked at how truly, according to the Gospel, he was forgiven, but as tragically happens in life, he did not have time to stop death.

In the ancient Creed of the Holy Apostles, after the words about faith in the Church, faith in the Communion of Saints is proclaimed. In the example of Saint Wenceslaus, we see how this communion can become visible even in this life. Some saints are especially similar to each other, and, by the power of grace, they follow the path of the saints who were before them.

Thus, historical evidence tells us that Vyacheslav was raised in the faith by his grandmother, Saint Ludmila of Bohemia. Vladimir, the Baptizer of Rus, who, as we know, was taught Christianity by Saint Olga, personally revered Saint Prince Wenceslaus. Finally, the veil of secrecy is lifted as to who the passion-bearers Boris and Gleb could have taken the paradoxical and unheard-of example of renunciation of power from.