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As Hitler and his Nazis swept through Europe, a harsh rule descended on each nation. Czechoslovakia was no different as it suffered under the rule of Hitler's heir apparent, Reichsprotector Reinhard Heydrich. After the [[May 27]], 1942, assassination attack on Heydrich's car near the [[Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral (Prague, Czech Republic)|Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral]] in Prague, Czech patriots took refuge in the [[crypt]] of the cathedral before continuing their escape. They were aided by senior church [[laity|laymen]], who kept Bp. Gorazd informed. However, their presence was discovered by the Nazis, and on [[June 18]] the Nazis attacked their hiding place in the cathedral, killing them. The Orthodox [[priest]]s, laymen, and Bp. Gorazd were arrested and killed by firing squads on [[September 4]], 1942.
In reprisal the Nazis forbad forbade the church to operate in Bohemia and Moravia. Churches and chapels were closed, and a rounding up of Czechs was conducted, including the whole village of Lidice, whose inhabitants were either killed or sent to forced labor camps. For the Orthodox the whole church fell under the Nazi persecution and was decimated. A total of 256 Orthodox priests and laymen were executed, and church life came to a stop.
After World War II the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia began its recovery without its beloved bishop. On [[December 9]], 1951, the Patriarch of Moscow granted [[autocephaly]] to the Orthodox Church of Czechoslovakia, though this action was not recognized by Constantinople, which regarded the Czechoslovakian church as being [[autonomy|autonomous]] under its authority. The Patriarch of Constantinople later granted a [[tomos]] of [[autocephaly]] on [[August 27]], 1998.
