The first historically documented Czech princess, the first noble Christian woman in Bohemia, the first Czech female martyr and first female saint. As a ruler, she stood at the foundation of the first Přemyslid state, and rightly belongs among the patrons of the Czech lands. She is also the spiritual protector of grandmothers and mothers, perceived as such by Czech princesses and queens when they turned to her in prayer for help during childbirth or illness among their children. According to chroniclers, her blood “flows” through almost all the European royal families. The first Czech princess, the first Christian of the Přemyslid dynasty, and the first saint of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown. After her martyrdom, she became the patron saint of women in childbirth and sick children, and the first Czech monastery was built near her grave site. Church of St. Ludmilla | Source: Prague City Tourism She was born at a time when Europe was emerging from the ruins of the Roman world. Although she was raised as a pagan, when she was married to Prince Bořivoj I at the age of fourteen in 882, both spouses were baptised by Methodius, Archbishop of the Slavs. From that moment on, Ludmila’s Christianity became concrete and quiet: caring for the poor and sick, founding churches, patience stronger than ostentation. She was not even thirty when Bořivoj died, yet she did not disappear into seclusion. When her son Vratislav took over the government, tensions arose with his wife Drahomíra. Vratislav’s death pitted these two women against each other over the future of the underage heir to the throne, Wenceslas, Ludmila’s grandson. The compromise was fragile: Ludmila was to raise Václav, Drahomíra was to rule. In September of the same year, Drahomíra sent two hired assassins, Tunnu and Gomon, who were probably Vikings judging by their names, to Ludmila’s residence at Tetín Castle, a fortress on a rocky promontory west of Prague. Drahomíra did not want a “bloody” martyr, so Ludmila was strangled with her own veil. Four years later, Wenceslas ascended the throne, sending his mother into exile and moving Ludmila’s remains to St George’s Basilica at Prague Castle. From that moment on, women’s prayers of supplication flowed to the grave, and the first miracles were recorded into the memory of the land. Around 976, Ludmila’s great-granddaughter Mlada founded the oldest convent in Bohemia for the Benedictine nuns of St George. This was highly unusual, as in most countries the first monastery is usually male; the Czechs thus demonstrated their respect for female piety and leadership skills. In the 14th century, the Holy Roman Emperor and Czech King Charles IV granted the local abbesses the privilege of crowning Czech queens – a subtle but powerful line of female authority at the heart of the state. St. Ludmila, stained glass, Olomouc | Source: www.wikipedia.com In 1782, St George’s Convent was abolished as part of Emperor Joseph II’s church reforms. Under the Habsburg Monarchy, of which Prague was a part, Ludmila remained at Prague Castle. To this day, her body rests in St George’s Basilica, while her skull and arms are kept in magnificent reliquaries in St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. When you enter the quiet Romanesque interior today, you will see the story of a woman who raised a saint, survived politics and was unbroken even by murder. And she is still at home in Prague today. Where to experience the story in Prague St George’s Basilica (Prague Castle) – stone tombstone of St Ludmila with a relief of the reclining saint; site of her grave and former Benedictine convent. Cathedral of St Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert (Prague Castle) – in the nave, a gilded wood carving of St Ludmila (František Preiss, 1699); in the Chapel of St Ludmila, a marble depiction of the martyrdom of the saint (Emanuel Max, 1844). St Vitus Treasure (cathedral treasury) – reliquary bust for Ludmila’s skull (first quarter of the 14th century, gilded silver, crystal, amethyst), reliquary arm; Ludmila is depicted among six Czech patron saints on the frame of the St Vitus Veraikon . Charles Bridge – Baroque statue of St Ludmila (workshop of M. B. Braun, after 1720). Wenceslas Square – Ludmila stands between four patrons on a pedestal next to the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas (J. V. Myslbek, 1911). National Gallery Prague – votive plaque from Dubeček (around 1390, beautiful style); František Tkadlík: Saint Wenceslas and Saint Ludmila at Mass (1837); Josef Hellich: Saint Wenceslas being taught at Tetín (1840). St Ludmila Basilica in Vinohrady – a neo-Gothic tribute to the saint in the silhouette of modern Prague. Church of St Ludmila, Tetín | Source: www.facebook.com | Photo Michal Bařinka Tip for a walk Start at St Vitus Cathedral (St Ludmila Chapel and Treasury), walk through the quiet courtyard of St George’s Basilica, and pause for a moment at the tombstone. Then walk across Charles Bridge to her statue and finish at Wenceslas Square by Myslbek’s patrons. If you have time for a trip outside the centre of the Prague-based story, head to Tetín – a rocky promontory above the Berounka River that gives the whole legend breath and horizon.