Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral (Prague, Czech Republic)

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Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic has a unique distinction in modern day history. The cathedral, then the seat of the ruling bishop of the Orthodox Church of Czechoslovakia, was the scene of the last stand of a number of Czech patriots who have assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the SS Obergruppenfuhrer and General of Police and newly appointed Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia for the conquering Nazi regime. In retaliation the Nazis executed Bp. Gorazd, many of the staff of the cathedral, destroyed the village of Lidice, massacred hundreds of people, and sent hundreds, perhaps thousands, more to forced labor camps. Today, the cathedral, in addition to being an active church, is the National Memorial to the Victims of the Heydrich Terror.

Early-history

According to an oral tradition, the site where SS Cyril and Methodius Cathedral stands was the site of a small church built by Duke Borivoj I and dedicated by St. Methodius himself. This link is based upon the history attached to early and continued reference to the name ‘‘Na Zderaze’’ for the existing church building. In 1091, the Czech lord Zderad was killed during the siege of Brno and was buried in the earlier church that was near Prague. Zderad’s name was then immortalized in the name of the street “Na Zderaze