Saint Ludmila
Grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus, killed for her faith in 921
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Martyr, Royalty
- Life
- 860 – 921
- Era
- 10th century
- Feast
- 16 September
- Countries
- Czechia
Life story
Ludmila was born around 860 near Mělník into a Slavic chieftain's family. She married Bořivoj, a prince of the Přemyslid dynasty in Bohemia. According to tradition the couple were baptised around 871, by Archbishop Methodius or one of his disciples, and Bořivoj is recorded as the first Christian ruler of his line. They built churches at Levý Hradec and later in Prague.
After Bořivoj's death their sons ruled in turn. Her son Vratislav married Drahomíra, and their eldest child was Wenceslaus. Because his father died young, Wenceslaus was brought up by his grandmother at Tetín, where she taught him the faith and how to read and write. Early sources point to tension between Ludmila and Drahomíra, partly over her influence on the boy and partly because of the rift between Christians and followers of the old religion among the nobles.
On 15 September 921 two men sent to Tetín killed her. Tradition says she was strangled with her veil, and the deed is usually blamed on Drahomíra's instigation, though the details are uncertain. Around 925 Wenceslaus, by then in power, had her remains moved to St George's church in Prague. She was honoured as a martyr from early on, and her feast is 16 September. The Czech people remember her as the first mother of Christian Bohemia.
Her death left a deep mark on Bohemian memory. Her grandson Wenceslaus took up the rule of the land a few years later and was himself killed by his brother, so the two are often remembered together as the earliest saints of the Czech lands, and her tomb in Prague became a place of pilgrimage.
Works and witness
- According to tradition, baptised around 871 with her husband Bořivoj
- Helped build the first churches at Levý Hradec and Prague
- Raised her grandson Wenceslaus at Tetín
- Killed at Tetín on 15 September 921
- Her remains were moved to St George's in Prague around 925
Patron of
Bohemia, Czech Republic
Saints from the same country
References
- Legenda Christiani (Vita et passio sancti Wenceslai et sanctae Ludmilae)
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Encyclopaedia Britannica – St. Ludmila
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.