medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear list,
Hoping this is not unacceptably post-medieval, I offer – in the spirit of our saints of the day – a brief
account of a St Patrick's Day (i.e. today, 17 March) miracle. It happened in Hungary, in the Cathedral
of Györ, yet the story is predictably Irish in character. When Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland in
1649, many Catholic churchmen were imprisoned, including Walter Lynch, the bishop of Clonfert. In
1652 he managed to escape and went to Belgium, taking with him an image of the Virgin and Child
that had long hung in Clonfert Cathedral. The rather popular source I'm taking this from is unclear
about whether it was already, at that time, considered a miraculous image, but if not, it was soon to be
so considered. Bishop Lynch's wanderings with his holy picture took him to Portugal, and finally to
Hungary, to Györ, where the bishop of Györ appointed him his vicar general. On his death, Lynch
bequeathed the image of the Virgin to the bishop of Györ. My source seems to imply, though, that it
had already been displayed for a long time in the cathedral, where it remains to this day, known,
apparently, as the Irish Madonna of Hungary. In 1697, the sufferings of Irish Catholics worsened
when Parliament passed an edict ordering the expulsion of all priests from Ireland and the British Isles,
and the establishment of the National Ireland Church. The Irish Madonna of Hungary must have been
taking note, for on 17 March 1697, St Patrick's Day, the eyes of the Virgin in the picture began to
weep bloodstained tears. There were many witnesses, and priests took turns wiping the face of the
Madonna with a linen cloth. Among the witnesses, in fact, who testified that they saw this miracle
were Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans and a Jewish rabbi! Both the image and a blood-stained cloth
that was used to wipe away her tears are still preserved in the Cathedral of Györ.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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