One of many churches named for the saint. — Photos courtesy Czech Republic Tourism

"Good King Wenceslas" was actually a prince not a king, but the person who penned the popular Christmas carol probably didn't know that. "He can't be called a king because he wasn't crowned by the Pope," explains Hana Kornecka, my guide on a tour of St. Vitus Cathedral where Wenceslas is buried.

Wenceslas was a prince who later became Bohemia's patron saint. During his lifetime (907-929) he worked for the improvement of his people, and is often depicted providing shelter to the homeless and buying children out of slavery.

His good deeds must have been considerable because centuries after his death, he was immortalized in a Christmas carol that has since become a holiday favourite.

Good King Wenceslas, was written by J.M. Neale in 1853 to the tune of a spring carol from the 16th century.

No one is quite sure how Wenceslas came to be known as a king, though Kornecka offers a probable explanation: "When Charles IV's daughter married the King of England, Richard II, she became the Queen of England, called Ann of Bohemia and it was probably her who brought the story to England, and the English unaware of the distinction between Bohemian kings and princes called him good king Wenceslas."

Unfortunately, life came to a tragic end for Wenceslas. One day, while attempting to enter a church, he was stabbed to death by his own brother, the victim of a power struggle.

The church was closed and legend has it that after he was killed, he remained standing, his hand still clutching the door knocker.

For many years it was believed that the knocker attached to the door near the ambulatory at the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, was the one on which he was killed. But that was later disproved when the knocker was dated to the 1300s, about the same time the chapel, above the saint's burial place, was built.

The shrine here was constructed much later and contains several notable features. These include a silver bust of the saint, as well as some 1,200 semi-precious stones, mostly amethyst, jasper and chrysoprase, embedded in the walls, which are painted with frescos illustrating scenes from the life of Wenceslas.

St. Vitus' itself is one of the great Gothic Cathedrals of Europe. Located in Prague Castle, high above the River Vltava, it took 600 years to complete and is one of the highlights of any visit to the city.

Not far from the Castle are the popular Christmas markets, the largest of which can be found in Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square throughout December until Jan. 6. Here you can shop amid rows of brightly decorated wooden stalls, selling local products, such as wooden toys, tree ornaments, candles, Czech glass and garnet jewelry.

On a chilly day, stay warm with a shot of Becherovka, the local herb liquor, then, enjoy the live entertainment provided by local and international choirs and other performers.

Around this time of year, large barrels of carp are rolled out onto city streets throughout the country. The fish, farmed in the lakes in South Bohemia, is part of a traditional Christmas Eve dinner in the Czech Republic.

The holiday season is an ideal time to make a side trip to the town of Jindrichuv Hradec, 128 km south of Prague.

CHRISTMAS MARKET in Prague’s Wenceslas Square

A big draw is the District Museum, a former 17th-century Jesuit seminary, which contains what's billed as the largest mechanical nativity scene in the world.

It has over a 1,300 human and animal figurines, about 130 of which are moveable. They were made by a local stocking-knitter, Tomas Kryza, (1838-1918) who devoted most of his life to the project.

For details visit muzeum. esnet.cz.

For general travel information, visit CzechTourism.com or call 416-363-9928.