St. Agnes of Prague was born in Prague in 1200. She was the daughter of the King of Bohemia and Constance of Hungary, who was a relative of St. Elizabeth. When she was young, Agnes was sent to the monastery of Treinitz, where she was educated by the Cistercian religious.
Agnes was betrothed to Henry, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, but when the time came for them to be married, they backed out. Agnes’ father then planned to marry her to Henry III of England, but the emperor vetoed this because he wanted to marry her himself.
Instead, Agnes dedicated herself to consecrating her life to God in a cloister. Emperor Frederick is said to have relinquished his plans, saying “If she had left me for a mortal man, I would have taken vengeance with the sword, but I cannot take offense because in preference to me she has chosen the King of Heaven.”
Agnes entered the Order of St. Clare in the monastery of St. Saviour at Prague, which she had built. She was elected abbess, and became a model of virtue and religious observance. God favored her with the gift of miracles, and she predicted her brother Wenceslaus’ victory over the duke of Austria.
The exact year of her death is not known, but Agnes is believed to have died in 1281. She was beatified in 1874 by Pope Pius IX and canonized by Pope John Paul II on November 12, 1989.
