It's ironic that most of them were Martyred.
Icon 1: Ss. Rastislav a Boleslav
St. Rastislav was Prince of Great Moravia from 846 to 870. He sent for teachers of Christianity from Constantinople, and recieved Ss. Cyril and Methodius. Rastislav was captured and blinded by Carloman, King of Bavaria.
St. Boleslav was King of Bohemia from 967 to 999. He was the son of Boleslav the Cruel, a pagan who had murdered his own brother, St. King Wenceslaus.
By contrast, Boleslav was known as "the pious". He oversaw the conversion of the Czech people, then sent missionaries to establish the Faith in Hungary and Poland.
Icon 2: St. (Bishop) Gorazd II
Not a Czech, per se; He was a Serb who was sent to the Kostel sv. Cyrila a Metodìje in Prague to serve at the altar there. The Nazis invaded Prague and the Nazi governor in charge of Czechia was assassinated in 1942 by Czech army paratroopers. To take their revenge for losing Heydrich, the Nazis shot and killed every man in the small village of Lidice, and sent the women and children to Auschwitz. Then the buildings were razed and bulldozed.
The assassins fled and took refuge in the crypt of the Cathedral. It is debated whether or not Bishop Gorazd knew of this; one account has him away and discovers them hiding, another account has his permission.
A traitorous member of this group disclosed the hiding place and the Cathedral was stormed by SS troops. Eventually the hiding assassins had to use their last bullets on each other. Gorazd was tried and executed for treason and was recognised as a New Martyr by decision of the Serbian Orthodox Church on 4/17 May 1961. On 24 August/ 6 September 1987 he was glorified in the Cathedral of St Gorazd in Olomouc in Moravia. He is feasted by the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church on the day of his martyrdom 22 August/4 September.
Icon 3: St. King Wenceslaus
Martyred by his brother, Boleslav the Cruel. The Germanic clergy opposed Vyacheslav's rule, as he wanted to use Slavonic and they favoured Latin Rite. The clergy eventually convinced Boleslav to kill his brother. Boleslav invited Vyacheslav to a Church consecration and murdered him. Vyacheslav built St. Vitus' Cathedral. He and his also Martyred grandmother, St. Princess Ludmilla, are considered to be the protectors of the Czech Lands.
Feasted: Sept. 28
Icon 4: St. Princess Ludmilla
Wife of Boriwoi, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia. She and her husband were baptized, probably by St. Methodius, in 871. Pagan fanatics drove them from their country, but they were soon recalled, and after reigning seven more years they resigned the throne in favour of their son Spitignev and retired to Tetin. Spitignev died two years later and was succeeded by Wratislaw, another son of Boriwoi and Ludmilla. Wratislaw was married to Drahomira, a pretend Christian, but a secret favourer of paganism. They had twin sons, St. Wenceslaus and Boleslaus the Cruel, the former of whom lived with Ludmilla at Tetin. Wratislaw died in 916, leaving the eight-year-old Wenceslaus as his successor. Jealous of the great influence which Ludmilla wielded over Wenceslaus, Drahomira instigated two noblemen to murder her. She is said to have been strangled by them with her veil. She was at first buried in the church of St. Michael at Tetin, but her remains were removed to the church of St. George at Prague before the year 1100, probably by St. Wenceslaus, her grandson. She is venerated as one of the patrons of Bohemia, and her feast is celebrated on 16 September.
Icon 1: Ss. Rastislav a Boleslav
St. Rastislav was Prince of Great Moravia from 846 to 870. He sent for teachers of Christianity from Constantinople, and recieved Ss. Cyril and Methodius. Rastislav was captured and blinded by Carloman, King of Bavaria.
St. Boleslav was King of Bohemia from 967 to 999. He was the son of Boleslav the Cruel, a pagan who had murdered his own brother, St. King Wenceslaus.
By contrast, Boleslav was known as "the pious". He oversaw the conversion of the Czech people, then sent missionaries to establish the Faith in Hungary and Poland.
Icon 2: St. (Bishop) Gorazd II
Not a Czech, per se; He was a Serb who was sent to the Kostel sv. Cyrila a Metodìje in Prague to serve at the altar there. The Nazis invaded Prague and the Nazi governor in charge of Czechia was assassinated in 1942 by Czech army paratroopers. To take their revenge for losing Heydrich, the Nazis shot and killed every man in the small village of Lidice, and sent the women and children to Auschwitz. Then the buildings were razed and bulldozed.
The assassins fled and took refuge in the crypt of the Cathedral. It is debated whether or not Bishop Gorazd knew of this; one account has him away and discovers them hiding, another account has his permission.
A traitorous member of this group disclosed the hiding place and the Cathedral was stormed by SS troops. Eventually the hiding assassins had to use their last bullets on each other. Gorazd was tried and executed for treason and was recognised as a New Martyr by decision of the Serbian Orthodox Church on 4/17 May 1961. On 24 August/ 6 September 1987 he was glorified in the Cathedral of St Gorazd in Olomouc in Moravia. He is feasted by the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church on the day of his martyrdom 22 August/4 September.
Icon 3: St. King Wenceslaus
Martyred by his brother, Boleslav the Cruel. The Germanic clergy opposed Vyacheslav's rule, as he wanted to use Slavonic and they favoured Latin Rite. The clergy eventually convinced Boleslav to kill his brother. Boleslav invited Vyacheslav to a Church consecration and murdered him. Vyacheslav built St. Vitus' Cathedral. He and his also Martyred grandmother, St. Princess Ludmilla, are considered to be the protectors of the Czech Lands.
Feasted: Sept. 28
Icon 4: St. Princess Ludmilla
Wife of Boriwoi, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia. She and her husband were baptized, probably by St. Methodius, in 871. Pagan fanatics drove them from their country, but they were soon recalled, and after reigning seven more years they resigned the throne in favour of their son Spitignev and retired to Tetin. Spitignev died two years later and was succeeded by Wratislaw, another son of Boriwoi and Ludmilla. Wratislaw was married to Drahomira, a pretend Christian, but a secret favourer of paganism. They had twin sons, St. Wenceslaus and Boleslaus the Cruel, the former of whom lived with Ludmilla at Tetin. Wratislaw died in 916, leaving the eight-year-old Wenceslaus as his successor. Jealous of the great influence which Ludmilla wielded over Wenceslaus, Drahomira instigated two noblemen to murder her. She is said to have been strangled by them with her veil. She was at first buried in the church of St. Michael at Tetin, but her remains were removed to the church of St. George at Prague before the year 1100, probably by St. Wenceslaus, her grandson. She is venerated as one of the patrons of Bohemia, and her feast is celebrated on 16 September.