Martyrs of Prague O.F.M. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Martyrs, priests and religious | |
| Born | Between 1541 and 1603 Various |
| Died | 15 February 1611 Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia |
| Beatified | 13 October 2012, St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic, by Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B. |
| Feast | 15 February |
| Attributes | Franciscan habit Palm branch |
Frederick Bachstein and his thirteen companions (born between 1541 and 1603 – died 15 February 1611) were a collective group of members, both priests and lay brothers, of the Order of Friars Minor, who were murdered by a group of Protestants in the early 17th century.
Four of the men were Czech while there was one Spaniard, one Frenchman, four Italians, three Germans, and one Dutchman. Three were seminarians in the Order, while another three were novices, while the rest were all priests.[1][2] The Franciscan friars had settled in Prague in 1604 and set out to administer the sacraments as well as to tend to the ill and poor of the city. They became known for their preaching, despite consistent threats leveled against them from members of the Protestant population. The fourteen were slain after Emperor Rudolf II invaded the city; they were taken by surprise in a sudden attack on their friary at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows of the city and were all slain at the hands of a Lutheran mob.[2]
The cause for their canonization was launched in the 1930s, but it was suspended until the process was resumed in 1992. Pope Benedict XVI confirmed their beatification, which was celebrated in Prague on 13 October 2012.
- ^ "Frederick Bachstein e 13 compagni". Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Martyrs of Prague". Catholic Saints. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2022.