BLESSED HROSNATA, MARTYR

BLESSED HROSNATA, MARTYR - 14 JULY

BLESSED HROSNATA, MARTYR

Hrosnata means “rich in grapes” (hrozen) in Bohemian. Our Blessed was named after the place Hrosnietin or Hrosuletin (now Lichtenstadt). He is venerated as a martyr at the Premonstratensian monastery of Teplá (Tepla) in Bohemia.

His father is said to have been called Zezyman (Sezyman), his mother Dobrosalwa. He had four sisters, all of whom consecrated their virginity to God. Blessed Hrosnata began his earthly pilgrimage around A.D. 1170. The child was stillborn; but the trusting prayer of the parents to Christ and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin revived the baby. As a teenager he came to the court of King Ottokar (Przemisl). He shunned the excesses at court and instead sought out every opportunity to grow in virtue. Eventually, he married a virgin of his own rank. She bore him a son, who soon died. The mother's heart broke with sorrow; after a short time she followed the beloved child into eternity.

After this bereavement, around the year 1197, Hrosnata meant to undertake a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but changed his mind and began building a church and monastery in Teplá instead. The papal confirmation of the same took place in 1199 by the great Pope Innocent III. Soon afterwards (around the year 1200) the Blessed entered the monastery himself, but experienced unbearable adversity, mainly caused by John (Johannes), the first abbot there, who was replaced in due course. Meanwhile, Hrosnata left the monastery, but with retention of the religious habit and in faithful devotion to his Rule. After some time, he returned and was happily received by the community once more.

But it was not given to him to live much longer; for one day, when he travelled from Teplá to Hrosuletin on administrative business, he was attacked by robber barons from the Eger area and locked up in a dreadful prison with the purpose of extracting an exorbitant ransom. But before any arrangements could be made, he died there as a martyr on July 14, 1217.

The subsequent abbots of Teplá pursued his canonisation with the greatest zeal. Although this did not happen, he is counted among the "blessed". Van der Sterre* lists him on June 12. The Bollandists*, who relate quite a few details about his life, mention him on July 14. However, the same people remark that they had sent off for the old monastic records, but had received the reply from Teplá that, unfortunately, the files on Blessed Hrosnata had perished over the course of time, presumably during the Hussite wars.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 2, Augsburg, 1861, pp. 773-74)

*A hagiography source used by the authors

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of the blessed Hrosnata may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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