Czechs commemorate Saint Wenceslas, the nation’s patron saint, on
Friday, a public holiday entitled the Day of Czech Statehood. More than
2,000 people attend the traditional pilgrimage in Stará Boleslav,
north-east of Prague, where Wenceslas was assassinated by his brother on
September 28, 935. Czech President Václav Klaus, Prague Archbishop
Dominik
Duka and other dignitaries are to take part in the event. Prague’s
Wenceslas Square, named after the saint, will on Friday see a historic
procession complete with Saint Wenceslas riding a horse.
Wenceslas, from the Přemyslid dynasty, was the duke of Bohemia from 921
until his assassination 14 years later. He is considered a the founder of
the historic Bohemian state, and has been worshiped as a martyr and a
saint.