THE HIEROMARTYR OF PRAGUE: BISHOP GORAZD (MAY 26, 1879 TO SEPTEMBER 4, 1942)

Bishop Gorazd of Prague, given name Matěj Pavlík (May 26, 1879 – September 4, 1942), was the hierarch of the revived Orthodox Church in Moravia, the Church of Czechoslovakia, after World War I. During World War II, having provided refuge for the assassins of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich, called The Hangman of Prague, in the cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague, Gorazd took full responsibility for protecting the patriots after the Schutzstaffel found them in the crypt of the cathedral. This act guaranteed his execution, thus his martyrdom, during the reprisals that followed. His feast day is celebrated on August 22 (OC) or September 4 (NC).

Bishop Gorazd of Prague

Icon. Hieromartyr Gorazd Bohemian, Transcarpathia, Mukachevo, 2012

Please go to this blog post to learn more.