St. Agnes of Bohemia

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Called Agnes of Prague in some lists, a princess, abbess, and thaumaturgist or miracle worker. She was born in 1200 in Prague, the daughter of King Ottocar and Queen Constance of Hungary, a relative of St. Elizabeth. As a child she was educated in the Cistercian convent of Treinitz and was betrothed to Emperor Frederick II of Germany (r. 1215-1250). She refused this marriage, which angered Frederick, but in time he came to understand her decision, remarking: "If she had left me for a mortal man, I would have taken vengeance with the sword, but I cannot take offense because in preference to me she has chosen the King of Heaven." Agnes became a Poor Clare, the Franciscan cloistered order, entering the monastery of St. Savior in Prague,which she had founded. During her religious life, Agnes was gifted by miracles. She predicted the victory of her brother Wenceslaus over the duke of Austria. She was canonized in 1989 by Pope John Paul II.