The cult of St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert in Medieval Central Europe
The cult of the two main Bohemian patron saints, Wenceslas († 935) and Adalbert († 997), played an important role in the Middle Ages not only in the Czech state but also in Poland and Hungary. Apart from this, it also penetrated different parts of the medieval Roman Empire. Wenceslas was proclaimed saint only after the foundation of Prague Bishopric (973), and Adalbert was canonized directly after his martyrdom at Bolesław the Brave’s order. Unlike the cult of Wenceslas, Adalbert’s cult developed dynamically from the very beginning and with extraordinary aspirations, since emperor Otto III intended Adalbert to become one of the imperial saints. Unfortunately, this plan failed due to the early death of Otto III. Nevertheless, Adalbert’s cult was adopted in Poland and Hungary, where the local church structures were consequently built on its basis in the year 1000, while St. Wenceslas became the main patron saint of Bohemia.
