Saint Agnes of Bohemia: A Thirteenth-Century Iconoclast and the Enduring Legacy of Her Convent as a Sacred Space for Religious Art

Abstract

Refusing to accept her expected role of becoming an item of negotiation in an arranged marriage to strengthen a political alliance, Agnes of Bohemia (1211–1282), daughter of King Přemysl Otakar I of Bohemia and Queen Constance of Hungary, chose to use her royal dowry to finance construction of the first hospital, convent, monastery, and church in Prague committed to the teachings of Saint Francis. Her youth was influenced by nuns providing her education, by a strong familial precedent in the support of churches and convents, and by religious contemporaries. Joining the fledging Franciscan movement, this remarkably well-educated and deeply committed woman entered as abbess of the convent in 1234, dedicating her life to poverty without endowment, devotion, and service to the sick and poor. Agnes was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1874 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Her legacy remains in Prague today with the Gothic convent she constructed now serving as a premiere museum devoted to the Medieval and Renaissance religious art of Prague and Central Europe. Thus, the original goal of building a sacred space for sisters in order to foster spiritual mediation has now been redirected to provide the public the opportunity to become immersed in ecclesiastical reflection viewing the works of artists such as Master Theodoric, the Master of Vyšší Brod, the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece, and others.

St. Clare of Assisi and St. Agnes of Prague: Their Lives Intertwined by the Four Letters

“…The four letters all follow the classical structure of letter writing with a formal greeting, body, and closing. Also, similar to much of Middle Age correspondence, the letters are rhetorically and metaphorically expressive [8]. She made frequent use of symbolism and metaphors, among which the bridal symbolism and the metaphor of mirror are two important ones.…”

“…In 1234, Agnes and seven other noblewomen from Bohemia with five women from Assisi entered the monastery in Prague. Regarding this event, Clare sent a message of congratulations in the same year, known as Clare's First Letter [8]. From that time on the lives of the two sisters were intertwined.…”

“…The majority of the young women from affluent backgrounds who came to a life of religion usually decided to enter one of the established wealthier Orders. Few noblewomen would have chosen the austere life of Poor Ladies [8]. Clare and her closest ally, the Bohemian princess Agnes, courageously resisted the reforms of Gregory IX to centralize and push all women religious into following the popular Benedictine Rule.…”