Relics of St. Wenceslas Brought to Stará Boleslav for the Year's Main Pilgrimage

On Monday, September 28, Stará Boleslav near Prague is hosting the National St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage — the country's most important church celebration, held to mark the state holiday of St. Wenceslas Day. At the same time, Prague Castle is offering free admission to its exhibition of the coronation jewels until the end of the day, which, combined with the long weekend and warm weather, has drawn an unusually large number of visitors.

Crowds at Prague Castle

The free exhibition of the coronation jewels in Prague Castle's Vladislav Hall runs through Monday, with entry via Hradčany Square through the South Gardens and the Bull Staircase. The exhibition is complemented by a separate section devoted to the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand I of Habsburg's accession to the Czech throne. Many visitors deliberately chose the last weekend of September, extended by Monday's state holiday, for their visit, and registered guests were additionally given free entry to the Castle gardens.

The relic arrives in Stará Boleslav

On Sunday evening, September 27, the relics of one of the Czech patron saints, St. Wenceslas, were carried from Prague to Stará Boleslav, as is traditional. They were brought to the local Basilica of St. Wenceslas, near the spot where, according to legend, the prince was killed by his younger brother Boleslav. Historians believe this may have happened in 935, although a hundred years ago, during the commemorations marking the millennium of Wenceslas's death in 1929, the year cited was 929. After the relic's arrival, a festive concert and vespers were held in the basilica.

Unlike in previous years, the saint's skull will not be carried through the square during Monday's ceremonies this time — it will remain in the basilica for veneration until the relic departs. At the solemn pilgrimage Mass it will be replaced by a new relic: a silver bust adorned with Czech garnets and other precious stones, containing a fragment of the saint's bone inside.

Prague pilgrims set out at dawn

Monday, September 28, is the main day of the pilgrimage and a public holiday introduced specifically in memory of St. Wenceslas's death; on this day, large stores are prohibited from trading. At five o'clock in the morning, pilgrims on foot from the Prague parish in the Kyje district set out for Stará Boleslav from the Church of St. Bartholomew on Prelátská Street; some participants had been camping in tents in the church garden since Sunday evening. In the morning, the pilgrims in Kyje were greeted by Prague Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl.

In Stará Boleslav itself, services at the Basilica of St. Wenceslas began as early as seven in the morning, but the main programme of the day is centred on Mariánské náměstí (Marian Square): the rosary is recited there at 9:15, and the festive Mass, led by Archbishop Přibyl, begins at 10:00 (a rehearsal with altar servers could already be seen on stage from eight o'clock). At 14:00, lauds with a blessing and prayers of intercession will be held at the Brandýs Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, while at the same time a prayer for the nation will begin at the Church of St. Clement — where the Palladium of the Czech Land can also be seen until 16:00.

At 17:00 the relic will be taken back to Prague: at St. Vitus Cathedral it will be met by Sister Dominika Bohušová and participants in the Prague prayer for the nation she organizes, which takes place at the Capuchins' Church of Our Lady of the Angels on the initiative of former Archbishop Cardinal Dominik Duka. But the programme in Stará Boleslav continues even after the relic's departure: at 18:00 a traditional Greek Catholic liturgy will be held in the Basilica of St. Wenceslas, while at the same hour a chamber concert will take place in the Marian Basilica. The deanery garden by the basilica, normally closed, will be opened that day for families with children, featuring a panel exhibition on the era and life of St. Wenceslas, a puppet theatre and a creative workshop.

The day wraps up with a fair and concerts

Besides the religious programme, the pilgrimage traditionally brings secular entertainment to Stará Boleslav as well: carousels and other fairground attractions are running in Houštka and on Lázeňská Street. The summer cinema in Houštka has already held a series of weekend concerts, and a light show is announced for Monday evening. The stage on Mariánské náměstí is also given over to music: the brass band Krajanka performs from 13:30, and in the evening more contemporary acts take the stage — Adam Mišík from 18:30 and Jiří Korn from 20:00.

Source: prazsky.denik.cz