Church of St. Ludmila in Prague in Vinohrady was awarded the title of minor basilica
Yesterday, the church of St. Ludmila in Vinohrady, Prague, received the title of minor basilica. After nineteen years, Prague now has a fifth church with the title of basilica minor. In the Czech Republic, the total number of such temples has grown to 16. It is an honorary title of a temple that is under the direct patronage of the Pope. Its goal is to strengthen the ties of these churches with the Roman bishop, and at the same time highlight the importance of the temple for the surrounding area.
“The desire to raise the temple of St. Ludmila to a sacred place full of grace arose from last year’s celebrations of the 1100th anniversary of the death of St. Ludmila, the oldest Czech patroness,” Father Jakub Karel Berka of the spiritual parish of Saint Ludmila in Vinohrady, Prague, told Proglas, adding that their church is one of the largest in the world dedicated to this saint. That is why the parish submitted a request to the Czech Bishops’ Conference, whether their church would also not meet the criteria for a minor basilica. “The ČBK unanimously approved our desire last October, and we then drew up a request, which we submitted to the Vatican after the new year. Yesterday, I received a message from Archbishop Jan Graubner’s secretary that everything has already come to the archdiocese and now the date of the promulgation will be announced on the feast of the patron saint, but we will confirm this date in time. Today, however, I can confirm that the church of St. Ludmila is a minor basilica,” confirmed for Proglas by parish priest P. Berk. The parish is still waiting for the written form of the Pope’s decision. He also explained what the title of minor basilica actually means. “It is above all an incarnation to the apostolic chair. For all visitors, pilgrims, believers who come to our church, graces also result from this. Moreover, it is a wonderful link between East and West, because St. Ludmila became a saint at a time when the whole Church was united.” highlighted by P. Jakub Karel Berka.