Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral (Prague, Czech Republic)
The SS Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic is the principal church in the Metropolitan Council of the Czech Republic. The site of the church is considered to be the site of a small church that was consecrated by St Methodius. The existing structure had its origins as a Roman Catholic church built in the eighteenth century. It was leased to the Church of Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by the Czechoslovak government. In 1942, during World War II, the cathedral was the scene of the last stand of a number of Czech patriots who have assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the SS Obergruppenfuhrer and General of Police for the conquering Nazi regime. The reprisals for this act had serious consequences for both the Czech populace and the church.
According to oral tradition the site where SS Cyril and Methodius Cathedral stands was the site of a small church built by Duke Borivoj I and dedicated by St. Methodius himself. This link is based historically upon early and continuous reference to the name ‘‘Na Zderaze’’ for the existing church building. In 1091, the Czech lord Zderad was killed during the siege of Brno and was buried in the earlier church that was near Prague. Zderad’s name was then immortalized in the name of the street “Na Zderaze