health to Charles VI. king of France; and in 1529, under Francis I., to obtain peace. Chastelain. Gynecæum, Guérin.
St. Protominorissa. St. Francis called his brethren "Minors"—Lesser Brothers. St. Clara (2) was the first woman of the order, the Protominorissa.
St. Prudentia (1), April 15, M. at Antioch in Syria. AA.SS.
B. Prudentia (2) Casati, May 6, 1414-1492. V. O.S.A. Nun in the convent of St. Martha at Milan. About 1454 she was sent to Como to preside over a new community there, which she did for thirty-eight years. B. Beatrice (11) was of the same family and lived at the same time. They may have been sisters. AA.SS.
St. Prudentia (3), locally spelt Prudencia. Early 17th century. A peasant woman of Aurrecœchea in the chestnut woods of Goyerri, on the mountains of Berriz in the Biscayan provinces. She was left a young widow with a posthumous son, Ignacio. He went to sea against her wish. She spent the time of his absence in prayer. Longing greatly to see him again, she was one day transported with joy because she thought she saw his ship. She walked a great distance, as though treading on air, to be on the shore by the time he arrived, but she found it was another ship and no tidings of her son were to be had; so she walked the long way back, up the steep paths with a heavy heart, and when she got home to her poor little dwelling, she died at midnight.
On the top of the hill above Aurrecœchea, stood a hermitage of St. Bartholomew, the care of which was confided to a holy woman living near and called the nun of Berriz. She was praying at midnight and at the moment of Prudencia's death she saw in a vision that the hermitage had disappeared and in its place the gates of heaven were standing wide open and she saw Prudencia entering the gates amidst a legion of happy mothers whose love and sacrifices had obtained for them the aureole of the saints. Notwithstanding her joy and thankfulness, she felt a pang of regret that there would be no one left to welcome Ignacio when he returned. But he never did return, and none knew when or where he died. The house where he was born was eventually converted into a convent of Capuchin Trinitarians, whose first superior used to apply the holy sacrifice of the mass for the salvation of the son of Prudencia. Basque legend, from Miss Monteiro's collection.
St. Przbislawa, Przipislavva, or Pribislava, 10th century. One of the native Patron Saints of Bohemia. Granddaughter of St. Ludmilla. Daughter of Wratislaus, duke of Bohemia (+ 916) and his heathen wife Drahomira. Sister of St. Wenceslas and of Boleslas the cruel. Aunt of St. Mlada. Drahomira and Boleslas were strong upholders of the heathen party in the State while Wenceslas was an earnest Christian. In 938 Boleslas killed Wenceslas at the door of the church. In the struggle Wenceslas's left ear was cut off. After a time so many miracles were wrought by the murdered Saint, that his guilty brother became alarmed and had his body translated into the church of St. Vitas, in Prague; but the severed ear was missing until it was divinely revealed to his holy sister Przbislawa in what place it must be sought for. She was buried first near the village of Jablon, under Mount Krutina, where God honoured her body with celestial lights and angelic songs, whereby many heathen were won to Christ, and after several years she was solemnly translated to a church built in her name and honour, by a certain Christian named Chotislaw. Now she lies in the citadel of Prague, beside her brother St. Wenceslas, near the door of the cathedral.
Chanowski, Vestigium Boheiniæ Piæ. Dlugosch, Hist. Poloniæ, I. 90. Palacky, Gesch. v. Böhmen. Balbinus. Hist. Ducibus ac Regibus Bohemiæ.
Przbislawa is possibly the same as Strzezislawa, mother of St. Adalbert. Strzezislawa is called daughter of Wratislaw, and, in certain monastic records referred to by Chanowski, she is styled a sister of St. Wenceslaus. She married Count Slawnic of Libic, who was related on his mothar's side to the ducal
