Gorazd of Prague, given name Matěj Pavlík, was the hierarch of the revived Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia after World War I. During World War II, having provided refuge for the assassins of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich, called The Hangman of Prague, in the cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague, Gorazd took full responsibility for protecting the assassins after the Schutzstaffel found them in the crypt of the cathedral, hoping to minimize Nazi reprisals on his congregation. This act guaranteed his execution, thus his martyrdom, during the reprisals that followed. His feast day is celebrated on 22 August (OC) or 4 September (NC).

September 4

1879-05-26

1942-09-04

Canonized

9

Q655534

4