This year's Fryšták parish and prayer pilgrimage in honor of St. Ludmila and St. Wenceslas headed to Tetín near Beroun and subsequently to the city of a hundred spires, Prague, to the St. Vitus, Wenceslas, and Vojtěch Cathedral. By half-past five in the morning, all the eager pilgrims were already gathered in the square, and the bus arrived almost exactly on time. We were nearly full to the last seat. We set off in the morning twilight towards Brno and then on to Prague. Father Josef gave us the first two hours to “wake up,” for which many were grateful. Somewhere above Jihlava, under the guidance of the first married couple, we prayed the first biblical rosary, the joyful one. The intention of the prayer was for our nation and the revival of our faith. After the prayer, our pastor introduced us to the personality of St. Ludmila and the activities of the St. Ludmila 1100 years Association, established in 2015. Subsequently, we prayed the luminous rosary under the guidance of another married couple.
We reached Tetín around 11 o'clock. The tour of the area began in the Church of St. Ludmila, where we were greeted by a guide who spoke perfectly not only about the history but also about St. Ludmila, how Tetín looked in her time, and what we can find here today. In the altarpiece, St. Ludmila is depicted teaching the young (future) St. Wenceslas together with priest Pavel. After the guide's lecture, it is highly recommended to read the Czech Chronicle by Václav Hájek of Libočany, who once worked in Tetín, as they hold this priest in high regard in Tetín, although František Palacký did not speak highly of his historical work.
From the Church of St. Ludmila, we walked to the chapel of St. Catherine of Alexandria, which stands right next to it and is the oldest church in Tetín. It has excellent acoustics and generally feels very cozy. In the altarpiece, St. Catherine of Alexandria is in the center, to her right is St. Anne with little Mary, and to the left is St. Ferdinand, saints reminiscent of the builders of the church. From there, we took a shorter walk to the Church of St. John of Nepomuk, where there was currently an exhibition of photographs featuring Olga Havlová. In the altarpiece, naturally, St. John of Nepomuk is depicted, and the guide pointed out a spot in front of the altar where there is said to be “energy.” Some of our pilgrims tried to stand on it, but they did not levitate.
We concluded the tour exactly at noon when the bells of Tetín began to ring. We returned to the Church of St. Ludmila, where we had a service during which Father Josef asked St. Ludmila to hold her protective hand over our young pilgrims. We sang, “Even before the first temple rose above the peaks of this land, even before peace entered us and the bell sounded darkly…” (Hymnal 832).
Under the guidance of Leoš Zelinka, we set off to the castle ruins after the service, from where there is a beautiful view of the Berounka River and the surrounding hills. For a while, we gave thanks for the favorable weather, and then around 2 PM, we set off on our way to Prague, where Bishop Karel Herbst was to meet us before 4 PM.
Since we arrived in Prague in good time, we went to visit the grave of Princess Ludmila in the Romanesque Church of St. George behind the cathedral. The construction of St. George's Basilica is simply magnificent! The lady at the entrance generously let us in as a pilgrimage group without a ticket at Father Josef's request, allowing us to admire the splendid interior. Romanesque windows with middle columns, frescoes on the ceiling, and a wooden ceiling in the nave, naturally from a later period.
Before 4 PM, Bishop Herbst appeared among us, and we went to the cathedral, where Damián Faber was waiting to guide us. He started from "Adam" so that the lecture would be meaningful, narrating the history as if he were there. He introduced all the builders of the cathedral and its history and pointed out many interesting features in the cathedral. For example, perhaps the most famous stained glass window by Alphonse Mucha, which depicts the history of Christianity in the Czech lands, beginning with the arrival of St. Cyril and Methodius and the baptism of Prince Borivoj and St. Ludmila. We were also able to look into the sacristy, which contains unique architectural elements designed by master Petr Parléř – hanging keystones (for reference, please look at the hundred crown banknote). The sacristy also has portraits of nearly all the archbishops of Prague. From the sacristy, we moved to the St. Wenceslas Chapel, which is, in a word, breathtaking... and you simply must see it because it cannot be described. The grave of St. Wenceslas has always been in its place since his remains were transferred here; the position has never changed, perhaps just with the elevation of the overall structure of the cathedral. We concluded our tour in the oldest part of the cathedral, behind the presbytery. Among other things, there is the royal oratory built by Benedict Ried.
After saying goodbye to Bishop Herbst, we faced nearly a four-hour journey back to Moravia, during which we prayed the third rosary, the glorious one.
We thank you for the beautiful spiritual and educational pilgrimage!
Pavla Jungmannová
