Adalbert of Prague
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Silver coffin of St. Wojciech (Cathedral in Gniezno) |
Adalbert (
Czech: ; ; ; ca.
956 - April 23,
997) was a
bishop of
Prague who was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians initiated by Polish King
Bolesław I the Brave. He was later made the
patron saint of Bohemia, Poland,
Hungary, and
Prussia.
Vojtěch was born of a Czech noble family of Prince
Slavnik in
Libice nad Cidlinou, Bohemia. His father was a rich and independent ruler of the
Zličan princedom that rivaled Prague (see
Slavník's dynasty). According to
Cosmas' chronicle, Slavnik was a happy man all his life. Vojtěch had six brothers: Soběbor (Slavnik's heir), Spytimir, Pobraslav, Porej, Caslav and
Radim (Gaudentius). The latter chose a clerical career as well as Vojtěch did.Vojtěch was a well-educated man, having studied for about ten years (970-80) in
Magdeburg under Saint
Adalbert. When Adalbert died, Vojtěch took on the name Adalbert Vojtěch. Another preceptor was Otterich from St. Maurice school. Gifted and industrious, Adalbert Vojtěch soon became well-known all over Europe.
In 980 Adalbert finished his studies at Magdeburg school and returned to Prague where he became a priest.In 981 his father, Prince Slavnik, and both his mentors died.
In
982 Adalbert became the
Bishop of Prague. However, he strongly resented the participation of formally Christian inhabitants in the
slave trade. Although Adalbert descended from a rich family and could afford comfort and luxury, he lived poorly of his own free will. He was noted for charity, austerity, and zealous service to the Church. His duty was difficult even in baptized Bohemia, as the pagan creed was deeply embedded in the peoples' minds. Adalbert complained of polygamy and idolatry, which still were not unusual among the Czechs.
In 989 he resigned from his bishop's cloth and left Prague. He went to Rome and lived as a hermit in St. Alexis Benedictine monastery.
Four years later, in 993, the
Pope sent him back to Bohemia. Adalbert became the Bishop again. That time he founded a
monastery in Břevnov, near Prague, the first one for men in the Czech lands. According to Cosmas' chronicle, high clerical office was a burden to Adalbert, and in 994 he offered it to
Strachkvas who was Přemyslid and Duke Boleslav's brother. Strachkvas, nevertheless, refused.
In 995 Slavniks' rivalry with the Přemyslids resulted in a storm of Libice and a cruel murder of four (or five) of Adalbert's brothers. All this was done by the will of
Boleslav II, and the key executioners were his confederates from a powerful clan of
Vršovci. Thus the Zličan princedom became part of the Přemyslids' estate.
Adalbert damned the Vrśovci in church and predicted that they would be severely persecuted. After the tragedy he could not stay in Bohemia any longer and escaped from Prague, despite the Pope's call for him to return to his episcopal see. Strachkvas was appointed to be his successor. However, when he was going to assume the Bishop office in Prague, he suddenly died during the ceremony itself. Circumstances of his death are still unclear.
As for Adalbert, he went to Hungary and baptized
Géza of Hungary and his son
Stephen. Then he went to Poland where he was cordially welcomed by Bolesław I the Brave. After the short visit Adalbert went to Prussia with a Christian mission.
Adalbert Vojtěch of Prague had already in
977 entertained the idea of becoming a
missionary in
Prussia. After he had converted Hungary, he was sent by the Pope to convert the heathen
Prussians.
Boleslaus the Brave, duke of Poland, sent
soldiers with Adalbert. The bishop and his followers entered Prussian territory near
Gdańsk and went along the
Baltic Sea coast.
It was a standard procedure of Christian missionaries to try to chop down sacred oak trees (see
Iconoclasm), which they had done in many other places, including
Saxony. Because the trees were worshipped and the spirits who were believed to inhabit the trees were feared for their powers, this was done to demonstrate to the non-Christians that no supernatural powers protected the trees from the Christians.
When they did not heed warnings to stay away from the sacred oak groves, Adalbert was executed for sacrilege, which his co-religionists interpreted as
martydom, in April 997 on the Baltic Sea coast near Truso (currently
Elbląg). It is recorded that his body was bought back for its weight in
gold by Boleslaus the Brave.
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St. Adalbert (Vojtech) and his brother Gaudentius (Radim) monument in Libice (Czech Republic) |
A few years later Adalbert was
canonized as
Saint Adalbert of Prague. His life has been written about in
Vita Sancti Adalberti by various writers, the earliest being traced to imperial
Aachen and
Liège, although it was assumed for many years that the
Roman monk
John Canaparius wrote the first
Vita in 999. Another famous biographer of Adalbert was Saint
Bruno of Querfurt who wrote his hagiography in 1001-1004.
Notably, Bohemian rulers (i.e. Přemyslids) initially refused to ransom Saint Adalbert's body from the Prussians who murdered him, so it was purchased by Poles. This fact may be explained by Saint Adalbert's belonging to the Slavniks family; it highlights the strength of the two clans' conflict. Thus Saint Adalbert's bones were stored in Gniezno and helped Boleslaus the Brave to improve Poland's position in Europe.
It is said that in 1039 the Bohemian duke
Bretislav I retrieved the bones of Saint Adalbert from Gniezno and moved them to Prague. According to another version, he took only part of the bones, while the rest of Saint Adalbert's relics (including the skull) were hidden by the Poles (according to
Roczniki Polskie) and found in 1127. In 1928, one of the arms of Saint Adlbert, which Bolesław I had given to
Otto III in the year 1000, was added to the bones preserved in Gniezno. Today Saint Adalbert has two graves, and which bones are authentic is still not clear. For example, the saint has two skulls - one in Prague, a second in Gniezno (stolen in 1923).
In June 1997 was the thousandth anniversary of Saint Adalbert's martyrdom. It was commemorated in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Russia and other countries. Representatives of Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Evangelical churches pilgrimaged to Gniezno, to the saint's tomb.
John Paul II visited Gniezno and held a ceremonial divine service in which heads of seven European states and about a million believers took part. In
Kaliningrad Oblast, near Beregovoe village (former Tenkitten), where Adalbert's death hypothetically took place, a ten-meter cross was established.
*
History of the Czech lands in the Middle Ages *
Congress of Gniezno * Gniezno Doors
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Map of Prussia from c 1660 with locations
