Saint Ludmila of Bohemia

Born around 860 in the castle town of Mělník, Ludmila entered a marriage of state to Duke Bořivoj I, the first Christian ruler of Bohemia. Baptized during the Christianization of Great Moravia, Ludmila embraced the faith with devotion and resolve. Together with her husband, she helped establish Christianity in their land, building the first church at Tetín and raising their children in the new faith.

After Bořivoj’s death, Ludmila became a widow and matriarch in the Přemyslid line. She lived to see both of her sons rule—first Spytihněv, then Vratislav—and remained a quiet but steady influence behind the court. It was only after Vratislav’s death that her sanctity came into full light. As his son Wenceslaus came under her care, Ludmila took up the role of his guardian and guide, shaping him in the Christian faith and preparing him for rule with wisdom and prayer.

But her growing influence stood in the way of others. Drahomíra, the boy’s mother, saw in Ludmila a rival for power and direction over Bohemia’s future. On the night of 15 September 921, she sent assassins to Tetín. Ludmila was strangled with her own veil—a martyrdom suffered in silence and fidelity.

She was venerated soon as a martyr and teacher of saints. Her relics were later transferred to Prague, and devotion to her spread across the Czech lands. Canonized by acclaim, Ludmila remains a patroness of grandmothers, educators, widows, and the Christian people of Bohemia. Her feast is kept on 16 September.