News

People across the Czech Republic are commemorating St. Wenceslas, the nation’s patron saint. Thousands of pilgrims gathered in Stará Boleslav near Prague, the site of his martyrdom, for the annual St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage.

The outdoor mass on Mariánské Square was celebrated by Apostolic Nuncio Jude Thaddeus Okolo, with Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner preaching. Graubner also blessed the arriving pilgrims before the service. Senior figures from both the Church and the state attended the mass.

The spiritual program continues in the afternoon with a prayer for the nation, led by Cardinal Dominik Duka at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Alongside the religious ceremonies, visitors can enjoy concerts on Mariánské Square and performances in the Houštka summer cinema, where the day will conclude with a light show at 9 p.m.

The skull of St. Wenceslas will be safeguarded in a newly designed reliquary during its ceremonial transfer to the National St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage in Stará Boleslav, near Prague.

The special climate-controlled case will ensure that the relic of the nation’s patron saint is protected from temperature changes during the journey. It will maintain the same stable conditions as in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, where the relic is usually kept.

The reliquary will be carried by eight soldiers from the 26th Command, Control, and Reconnaissance Regiment on Saturday, the eve of the saint’s feast day, according to the Stará Boleslav Chapter.

Stará Boleslav, where Duke Wenceslas was murdered in 935, is the oldest Czech pilgrimage site linked to the cult of the saint. The Roman Catholic Church restored the National St. Wenceslas Pilgrimage in 2003, and thousands of pilgrims gather in the town each year to mark the occasion.

The aggressive disease myxomatosis, which affects hares and wild rabbits, has spread across nearly all of South Moravia, Czech Radio reported, citing local sources. Veterinarians have so far confirmed the illness in 13 dead hares. More samples are being tested. The disease arrived in South Moravia from Lower Austria, with hunters reporting the first dead rabbits at the end of the summer.

Veterinarians say it is difficult to predict how the situation will develop. Falling temperatures may help slow the spread, as the insect carriers of the disease become less active. However, this will not eliminate transmission completely, since hares can pass the disease to one another. Humans can also serve as carriers.

The possible construction of wind power plants will be the most frequent topic of referendums taking place next Friday and Saturday in nearly 40 municipalities alongside elections to the Chamber of Deputies.

In the Vysočina region, residents will vote on the issue in six locations, while in the Olomouc region, four of the eight local plebiscites will focus on wind projects—many of which face resistance from parts of the local population. Three similar votes are scheduled in Central Bohemia and four in South Bohemia.

Other referendums will concern commercial construction, the building of a sports hall, a retirement home, a railway line, mining, or questions of municipal governance.