РОЛЬ КНЯЗІВСЬКОГО ПОДРУЖЖЯ БОРЖИВОЯ ТА ЛЮДМИЛИ У ПОШИРЕННІ ХРИСТИЯНСТВА В ЧЕСЬКІЙ ДЕРЖАВІ

The article highlights the process of Christianization of Slavic tribes living in the present-day Czechia. Those events intensified in the second half of the ninth century, and coincided in time with the unification of the tribes around the principality, which established the Przemyslovych dynasty. The first historically proven representative of the Przemyslovych dynasty was Prince Borzhivoy. He married Lyudmila, the daughter of Slavibor, who was apparently a prince of the Slavic tribe of Polabian Serbs. At first, Borzhyvoy and Lyudmila followed pagan customs. Borzhivoy’s reign lasted when Prince Sviatopolk ruled in the neighborhood of the Great Moravian state, and he had ambitious plans to subjugate the Czech lands to his rule. In the end, Borzhivoy acknowledged his dependence on Sviatopolk. At that time St. Methodius conducted his Christian mission in Great Moravia. It was St. Methodius who baptized Prince Borzhivoy, and later – Lyudmila. After accepting Christianity, Borzhivoy became the vicegerent of Sviatopolk in the Czech lands, which allowed him to strengthen his power over other tribal princes. Then Borzhivoy built the Church of St. Clement in the Left Hradec, which became the first Christian church in the Czech lands. He soon moved his residence from Left Hradec to Prague, built the Church of the Virgin Mary there and laid the foundations of the Czech capital. Thanks to Borzhivoy and Lyudmila, Christianity began to spread among their subjects too. After Borzhivoy’s death, Lyudmila continued to be a zealous Christian, a supporter of Slavic worship. She instilled the Christian faith to her grandson Vaclav. However, both Lyudmila and Vaclav were brutally killed. Later they were canonized.