(1211-1282)
Agnes of Bohemia, the youngest daughter of the Czech king Přemysl Otakar I. Her life was influenced by her childhood spent in a Cistercian monastery. In 1231, she rejected an offer of marriage to Emperor Frederick II. of Hohenstaufen. With the help of her brother King Wenceslas I, she founded the Hospital of St. Francis in Prague and in 1234, she entered the new convent of St. Clare. She dedicated her whole life to this order of nuns. She became the superior, and thanks to her adherence to the strict rules of the order, she was an inspiration to many other members. She was also instrumental in founding the male knightly order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star. She devoted her life to caring for the poor, the sick, and all who needed her help. Thanks to her dedication, Agnes is associated with many good deeds and numerous miracles that people asked her for in their prayers. Agnes of Bohemia was declared a saint on 12 November 1989 in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. Some attributed this event a symbolic importance as a harbinger of the collapse of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, which happened few days later, referring to the ancient prophecy that “there will be peace and tranquillity in Bohemia when Agnes is canonized”.