Demeter Zsófia - Gelencsér Ferenc: Örvendezz király város! - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. B. sorozat 51. A Fejér Megyei Múzeumegyesült kiadványai 8. (Székesfehérvár, 2002)
A tanulmány forrásai
A huge crowd gathered to welcome the relic: there were about 20,000 people lining the route of the procession, and in the Blessed Virgin Square another 40,000 were waiting. The writings of that time especially boosted the great number of people coming from villages dressed in national and regional costume, because it was summer working time and a working day.This sunny day was only a holiday in Székesfehérvár and for the hearts of the participants. Székesfehérvár at that time had never had so many visitors at one time, the amount of people there being 1 and 1/2 times that of its population! The preparations were suitable for a celebration of this size. There was a holiday given for the Wednesday and the post office made a special postmark for this day. There was an announcement for the local craftsmen to go to their headquarters dressed in dark celebratory clothes and in the procession there were 800 craftsmen under 36 old guild flags with 16 guild chests. The welcome committee consisted of ministers, generals, church, county and city dignitaries, and they were joined by the Cardinal and the papal nuncio, Angelo Rótta. Hungarian and German radio broadcast from the station entrance. The “Golden Train” arrived at 9.10 am. The golden third carriage, highly decorated and having a huge crown contained the relic behind the liftable glass side. In front of white-cloaked guards, eight priests brought the relic down the stairs and placed it on the state carriage, which was drawn by eight Arab saddle-horses. The relic coach was surrounded by the noble mounted escort in front with Archduke Joseph Francis and at the rear with Archduke Joseph. The route of the procession was from the railway station to the Blessed Virgin Square, now Market Square, via Deák Street, Budai Road and then Vörösmarty Square. The end of the square was dominated by the towering altar, draped in yellow and white, the papal state colours, with a 5-metre cross on top. It was here that the Holy Right Hand met with the church dignitary delegation and with Székesfehérvár’s own relic, the cranial relic of St. Stephen, brought from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. At the altar Angelo Rótta said a prayer to St. Stephen and then took a low mass. After the National Anthem, the procession proceeded to St. Stephen’s sarcophagus, where the relic was based onto the coffin. For some two hours people paid their respects. This celebration of spirituality continued in the afternoon with the funeral of the great Fehérvár Bishop, Ottokár Prohászka (1906-1927). The Bishop’s ashes had been exhumed the previous day, and now from the Garden of Ruins, from the square in front of the Holy Right Hand and St. Stephen’s cranial relic, they were re-buried. After the burial ceremony and last rites, the coffin with a long funerial procession departed to its final resting place, the Prohászka Memorial Church, built from public donations. The coffin was placed in the grave by Antal Orbán. After the burial of the great Bishop the crowd remained where it was, as the procession with the Holy Right Hand was moving back to the station. The “Golden Train” left Székesfehérvár at 7.00 pm. On 18th August 1938 there was an official state celebration, or rather the creation of an official state celebration in Székesfehérvár. It was here and at that 239
