Catholic · † 997
Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr
Commemorated: April 23
Life
Vojtěch, called Adalbert, was born about 956 into the powerful Slavník family of Bohemia and became bishop of Prague in 982. Unable to reform his flock or prevent violence, he twice left for Rome and lived there as a monk, and in 995 the rival Přemyslid family slaughtered most of his kin. He was a friend of the emperor Otto III.
In 997, with the support of the Polish duke Bolesław the Brave, he set out to preach to the pagan Prussians on the Baltic coast, and was killed there on 23 April. According to tradition, Bolesław ransomed his body for its weight in gold and buried it at Gniezno. He was canonized in 999 and is a patron of Poland and Bohemia.
Places
- Place of birth: Libice nad Cidlinou
- Place of burial: St. Vitus Cathedral
Retold briefly in our own words from: Butler’s Lives of the Saints.
Places and years: Wikidata (CC0), each saint matched by hand.