history, in English. Dunham, Hist. of Poland.
St. Cunegund (5), or Kunhuta. 1265-1321. Patron of Bohemia. Sister of Wencealas IV. (1278-1305), the Good, king of Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland. Daughter of Primislaus Ottocar II., king of Bohemia (1253-1278). Cunegund (5) was betrothed to the son of the Emperor Rudolph I. The marriage was put off on account of a quarrel between the Emperor and his son; and Cunegund, with fourteen girl-friends, went into a Franciscan convent, which was ruled by her great-aunt, St. Agnes, princess of Bohemia. After a short residence there, Cunegund was brought back to court, and given in marriage to Rudolph, son of Rudolph, prince of Swabia. At his death she became a nun in the Benedictine monastery of St. George at Prague. There she attained to great sanctity and a wonderful gift of prayer, and gained admirable victories over the devil. She was buried in the chapel of St. Anne. Some say she was never married, but that her sister Agnes was married to the Emperor's son, and after his death joined Cunegund in the monastery of St. George, and died piously there.
Chanowski tells that at the chapel of St. Kunhuta at Strazow, on a mountain near the borders of Bohemia and Moravia, is a spring of water, to which, in time of drought, the inhabitants go in procession with prayers and hymns. They stir up the water and then disperse; and it hardly ever happens that after this ceremony they reach their homes without rain.
St. Cunera, or Kunere, Oct. 27, martyrdom; June 1 2, translation, V. M. 339 or 500. Patron of Dursted, near Utrecht. Represented with a demon on her shoulders, trying to suffocate her.
Her legend, from a sermon of the beginning of the 14th century, is as follows:—
When St. Ursula was going on her pilgrimage, she sent to her cousin Cunera, who was living with her parents, Aurelius and Florentia, at Orcada (some persons say this is Orkney; others, York; others, Utrecht), begging her to join the expedition. Ounera complied. When Ursula and her companions were martyred at Cologne, Radbod, king of Rhenen (now Dursted), seeing the others cruelly slaughtered, and Cunera willing to meet the same fate for the love of Christ, saved her life and took her safely to his town, where she lived a virtuous and religious life, relieving the poor to the best of her power. She inspired the king with so much confidence that he gave her the charge of all his possessions. The queen was jealous, and often tried to shake his good opinion. One day Cunera was going with a bundle of bread and other food for the poor, who were begging at the gate. The queen said to her husband, "You never will believe me. Call Cunera, and see for yourself how she wastes your substance." He called her and looked into her bundle. Behold! it was full of chips of wood (assulu; other MSS. have hastulas or hastilia, spears or halberds—a more suspicious thing to be giving away than bread!). The king reproached his wife with hard words. Then she determined to rid herself of Cunera. Accordingly, during his absence, she ordered the servants to put her to death. They threw her down, strangled her with a towel, and then buried her in the stable. When the king came home from hunting, the queen went to meet him, all smiles. After a short time he asked for Cunera. She answered that her father and mother had fetched her away. Meantime the king's horse was led to the stable where she was buried. Neither whip nor spur could make him enter. While the king was at supper one of the servants saw, in the stable, lights in the form of a cross. He ran and told his master. Several persons saw the lights from a little distance, but when they went into the building they could see nothing. Radbod ordered the place to be searched. The earth was found to be newly dug, and soon were discovered the body of the holy maiden and the towel with which she had been strangled. It was preserved at Rhenen, and wrought miracles. Radbod punished the queen so unmercifully that she lost her reason, and for three days wandered about, raving and
