Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-10-01 / 2. szám
erika papp fabertji MONUMENT TD LIVING m____ WALKING THROUGH THE OLD part of the city of Győr in western Hungary, one comes upon a small square dominated by a very unusual, 24-foot high monument, surrounded by an iron fence. One side of the square base has a bas-relief of Calvary, while the opposite side explains the reason for the monument. On the upper part, standing on clouds, two Monument of expiation for sacrilege committed against the Blessed Sacrament, in Győr, Hungary. The Latin inscription on the monument reads as follows: "To expiate the outrage to adoration, to restore devotion to the incorruptible Bread of Angels inherited from of old, Charles VI, Austrian Roman Emperor, Apostolic King, Upholder and Guardian of all that is right, ordered this monument in perpetual supplication, to appease the divine wrath on the audacious perpetrators, in the Year of Salvation 1731." View of the center of the city. angels hold aloft a gilded ark of the covenant, surmounted by a lamb encircled by a large halo. The events that led up to the erection of this monument were as follows: A soldier of the Austrian garrison, stationed in Hungary in 1729, was charged with bigamy, using an assumed name and desertion. He fled to a Jesuit monastery. The Jesuit fathers maintained the right of sanctuary and refused to surrender the fugitive, despite the garrison's most vigorous demands. In reply, the garrison blockaded the monastery, letting no one in or out. To relieve the monastery, the bishop wished to transfer the deserter to the episcopal residence. He thought the Corpus Christi procession would be an opportune time to do this. When the procession turned up this square, some of the loitering soldiers recognized the fugitive among the altar servers. They shouted for reinforcements, and a melee ensued, in the course of which the monstrance was knocked from the priest's hands, broke into pieces, and the Blessed Sacrament was trampled on. No particle of it could later be found. To make reparation for this sacrilege, Emperor Charles VI had the soil around the area collected and, placed into the ark, caused this monument to be erected “and appease the divine wrath.” It is a public act of homage and reparation. Courtesy of the Immaculata Magazine Page 6
