Agnes of Bohemia

Freed from marriage, Agnes dedicated her fortune to the poor under the influence of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. She founded the Hospital of Saint Francis, the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star (the only male order founded by a woman), and the Monastery of Saint Savior, which she entered on June 11, 1234. Having become abbess, she lived in absolute poverty and humility.

For nearly fifty years, Agnes led a life of prayer, mortification, and charity. Endowed with the gifts of visions and prophecy, she also served as a mediator of peace. She died on March 2, 1282. Venerated immediately, her canonization was long blocked by the loss of her mortal remains, an obstacle overcome only in the 20th century.

The immemorial cult of Agnes was recognized by Pope Pius IX on November 28, 1874. She was canonized on November 12, 1989, by Pope John Paul II. This event, which occurred five days before the Velvet Revolution, is seen as the fulfillment of a prophecy linking her canonization to the return of freedom in Bohemia.

Agnes's spirituality is based on evangelical poverty and the contemplation of Christ. She maintained a twenty-year correspondence with Saint Clare of Assisi and obtained the Privilege of Poverty. Today, as the patron saint of the Czech Republic, her former convent houses the medieval art collections of the National Gallery in Prague.