1942: Bishop Gorazd of Prague
September 4th, 2009 Headsman
On this date in 1942, the Orthodox Bishop Gorazd — Matej Pavlík is what his parents named him — was shot in Prague along with priests of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral for sheltering the Czechoslovakian resistance fighters who had lately assassinated Nazi Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich.
After icing Heydrich, the assassins had taken shelter in the Cathedral basement … only to be betrayed by a onetime compatriot.
The Nazis besieged the church — fiercely, but hopelessly defended.
With the Germans already visiting unspeakable collective punishment for the murder, the act of sheltering the assassins had trouble written all over it.
The Serbian-consecrated first bishop of the Czech Orthodox Church, Gorazd sought to limit the potential scope of reprisals by writing the German authorities, directly claiming responsibility — even though, in fact, he hadn’t found out who his sanctuary was concealing until several days after they had already been installed by sympathetic priests.
He enjoyed the characteristic hospitality of the Gestapo, and was shot at Kobylisy along with priests Vaclav Cikl and Jan Sonnevend; theologian Vladimir Petrek followed them the next day.
From left to right (not counting the guards, of course): Jan Sonnevend, Vaclav Cikl, Vladimir Petrek, and the bearded Bishop Gorazd, at their public show trial September 3. From the Czech Ministry of Defense’s slick and well-illustrated publication (pdf) on Operation Anthropoid.
The Czech Orthodox Church was suppressed while the Germans held Czechoslovakia. Bishop Gorazd is recognized in the Orthodox martyrology on August 22nd (the date of his death per the Julian calendar).
On this day..
- 1574: Charles de Mornay, sword dance regicide - 2020
- 2013: Sushmita Banerjee, Escape from the Taliban author - 2019
- 1799: Ettore Carafa - 2018
- 1964: James Coburn, George Wallace's first death warrant - 2017
- 1821: Jose Miguel Carrera, Chilean patriot - 2016
- 1946: Leon Rupnik, Erwin Rosener, and Lovro Hacin, for the occupation of Slovenia - 2015
- 1822: Francisco Javier de Elio - 2014
- 1951: King Abdullah's assassins - 2013
- 1778: Patrick McMullen, repeat deserter - 2012
- 1953: Miss Earle Dennison, the first white woman electrocuted in Alabama - 2011
- 1896: Chief Chingaira Makoni, Rhodesian rebel - 2010
- 1638: Three (of four) English colonists for murdering a Native American - 2008
Entry Filed under: 20th Century,Capital Punishment,Cycle of Violence,Czechoslovakia,Death Penalty,Execution,Famous,Germany,History,Martyrs,Murder,Notable for their Victims,Occupation and Colonialism,Power,Religious Figures,Shot,Torture,Treason,Wartime Executions
Tags: 1940s, 1942, bishop gorazd, jan sonnevend, kobylisy, matej pavlik, operation anthropoid, prague, reinhard heydrich, september 4, sts. cyril and methodius cathedral, vaclav cikl, vladimir petrek, world war ii
My grandfather was John Pavlik, my mother Irene Pavlik. Any way to find family in Europe?
How do I get in touch with his relatives. My grandfather John Pavlik was his brother. He was born in Hungary as well and moved to Brooklyn N.Y. My mother Irene Pavlik was Johns daughter. I would LOVE to write to anyone interested. My name is John Melnick and I now live in Toronto, Ontario. Phone Number is 416.250.5999. Please, at the very least supply me with some suggestions. God Bless John Melnick
You’re too funny, Fiz!
I did – nice for us, but not for you!
So true, Fiz, so true!
Say, did you notice, my book went down again? (I guess we should be making these comments on the Bundy site, lol!)
I know! If anyone deserved it, Heydrich did, but it didn’t have a Hollywood ending, sadly.
Icing Heydrich was such a good thing, but oh, the ramifications!