Agnes of Prague (1205-1282)

Although she lived in the 13th century, St. Agnes still inspires Christians today . . .

Agnes of Prague

Feast Day: March 2
Canonized: November 12, 1989

Princess Agnes of Bohemia was born in Prague. She was entrusted into the care of the Cistercian nuns at the age of three. Her family tried to organize her marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. The young Agnes, however, would have none of it as she was drawn to the religious life.

When she appealed to Pope Gregory IX, the Emperor exclaimed, “If she had left me for a mortal man, I would have taken vengeance with the sword, but I cannot take offense because in preference to me she has chosen the King of Heaven.”

Impressed by the Franciscans who arrived in Prague in 1225, Agnes secured land from her brother, King Wenceslaus I, and built a Franciscan hospital for the poor and suffering.

In 1234, she founded a Poor Clare convent, St. Savior, in Prague, and wrote to St. Clare of Assisi, asking her aid. Clare responded by sending five nuns from Assisi to establish the rule. Agnes and Clare never met face to face, but they corresponded as friends for two decades.

Agnes entered St. Savior in 1234 and served as a Poor Clare for 46 years, including as abbess. At her death, she was revered across Christendom as a model for the religious life. Blessed John Paul II canonized her declaring: “Agnes of Bohemia, although she lived in a period far removed from ours, still remains a shining example of the Christian faith and heroic charity.”

This column is written for Legatus by Dr. Matthew Bunson, editor of The Catholic Answer Magazine and author of John Paul II’s Book of Saints.