On Saint Adalbert Lore Books

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On Saint Adalbert, his life and miserable death at the hands of the pagans.

Text

On Saint Adalbert
from Bruno of Querfurt

Upon the death of Bishop Dietmar, the first Bishop of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Voitek, known as Adalbert, of the Slavnik clan, took his place. It transpired in the year 982. Recalling to mind the words of his predecessor, that amongst the common people many injustices had spread, that polygamy amongst the nobility and blood feuds amongst the people did flourish, that no soul did honour neither Sabbath nor holy days and in their place they held markets, that Christians were sold into slavery, and that in the countryside pagan customs did flourish, he resolved to devote his life to fighting against such iniquity. For five years did he endeavour to eradicate these iniquities, but he failed, and disgusted, he travelled to Rome to beg the Holy Father for counsel. And he said unto him: “My son, if you are incapable of leading your people, then redraw and at least try to save yourself”.

And he wanted to journey to Jerusalem, but it was impossible to pass himself off as a common pilgrim, for his bishop’s vestments gave him away, but cast them aside he could not. And he gave his possessions to the poor and he did cast aside his vestments, and he secluded himself in a Benedictine monastery for several years. But here as well he did see how morality had been degraded and how the monks lived a nearly earthly life and in disgust he departed and returned to pastoring and the crosier.

To rectify at least some things, he founded Brevnov Monastery as well as several others and invited monks of great morals to them to live and devote themselves to God according to the strictest monastic laws. In the year of our Lord 995 a horrible catastrophe struck his family—every last man and child was murdered at the fortified town of Libice, whence only Adalbert escaped, perhaps because he was not there or because no soul dared lay a hand upon a bishop. People evil of tongue claim that it was the Premyslid clan that did commit this massacre to solidify its power in Bohemia. Others say that it was Adalbert himself who was responsible, for he offered an adulterous wife, who according to custom should have been killed, asylum in his church and thus the disgraced clan of the husband wanted vengeance, but not finding him at Libice, they killed his family instead.

Sorrowed and disgusted, Adalbert once again retired from his affairs and set off as a missionary to the north, to the land of the pagan Prussians. There he desired to spread the Christian faith and to fight against the pagans’ idolatry, but the local inhabitants did not wish to see him and greeted him with stones and sticks. Seeing such idolatry, he destroyed their idols and chopped down their sacred grove, for they did bow before trees and considered them to be holy. When the pagans saw this, they killed Adalbert and their trees did drink his blood and his body they left there. It was only Boleslaus the Brave who had the holy remains of this martyr taken to Prague.