Bedřich Bachstein and companions

In 1604, the Franciscans established themselves in Prague at the invitation of Archbishop Zbyněk Berka and Emperor Rudolf II. They received the ruins of the former Carmelite monastery of Our Lady of the Snows (Panny Marie Sněžné), which had been abandoned and devastated since the Hussite Wars nearly two centuries earlier. Between 1604 and 1606, the friars joined forces to rebuild the convent, then set to work on the restoration of the church between 1607 and 1610. Living in a predominantly Protestant and often hostile environment, the community strove to learn Czech and German to fulfill its pastoral mission among the Catholic minority. Their work focused on preaching, the administration of the sacraments, the care of the sick, and aid to the most destitute. Through their example of evangelical poverty and active charity, they succeeded in restoring vigor to the local Catholic community, while rigorously observing the Franciscan rule.

The martyrdom of the fourteen Franciscans occurred on February 15, 1611, the day of Shrove Tuesday. In the context of the invasion of Prague by the troops of Archduke Leopold of Habsburg (Bishop of Passau), a slanderous rumor accused the religious of hiding weapons and collaborating with the Catholic invaders. An angry mob of approximately 700 to 2,000 rioters, led by Matouš Hovorčovský, stormed the unfortified monastery. The friars, surprised in their daily tasks or in prayer, refused to flee and faced death with courage. Their bodies, initially cast aside in haste, received a Christian burial on February 19, 1611, within the monastery. In 1616, their remains were solemnly transferred to the Chapel of the Virgin in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. Popular veneration for these martyrs began immediately after their death. A first informative trial on the non-cultus was conducted in the 1670s and concluded in 1677. The cause was revived in 1930, and the ordinary trial on the martyrdom opened in 1947. However, the advent of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia (1948-1989) brutally interrupted the procedure, which could only resume in 1992.

On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree officially recognizing the martyrdom of Bedřich Bachstein and his 13 companions, killed in odium fidei. In July 2012, as part of the preparation for the ceremony, the remains of the fourteen martyrs were exhumed from the Church of Our Lady of the Snows to be subjected to scientific and anthropological examinations, confirming the extreme violence of the abuse suffered. The celebration of the beatification took place on October 13, 2012, at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. It was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and legate of Pope Benedict XVI, in the presence of the Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Dominik Duka, and thousands of the faithful. These fourteen Franciscans were thus the first blessed to be proclaimed at the beginning of the Year of Faith.

The spirituality of the Martyrs of Prague is deeply rooted in the Franciscan charism of fraternity, poverty, and love for the Eucharist. Their community, although composed of members of diverse nationalities and cultures, offered a prophetic testimony of unity and peace in a Europe torn by wars of religion. Their Eucharistic devotion is particularly illustrated by the sacrifice of Father Juan Martínez, who was mutilated and killed while attempting to protect the ciborium containing the sacred hosts. Today, their legacy remains alive in the Czech Republic and beyond. Their tomb, located in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows in Prague, remains a frequented place of pilgrimage. They are invoked as models of ecumenical reconciliation and peaceful courage in the face of violence and intolerance.