Saint Ludmila of Bohemia
duchess of Bohemia
Feast: 16 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Ludmila, wife of Borivoj, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia, was baptised with him about 871. Driven out by pagans and later recalled, they gave up the throne and retired to Tetin.
She brought up her grandson, St Wenceslaus. Jealous of her influence, his mother Drahomira had her murdered; she is said to have been strangled with her veil at Tetin on 15 September 921. She is a patron of Bohemia.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A duchess who raised St Wenceslaus and died for her faith.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Ludmilla
- Wikidata Q118087 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Ludmila of Bohemia (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.