Folia Theologica 4. (1993)
Tibor Somlyói Tóth: The forms of religious mentality in the Anjou age
THE FORMS OF RELIGIOUS MENTALITY 141 also a pledge of Louis T.: Tradition has it that he asked the help of the Virgin to defeat the Turks outnumbered the Hungarians by four to one, and be defeated them; it was to commemorate this victory that Louis T. founded one of the most popular shrines of the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries.35 His political successes be also attributes to the Mother of God, for, according to his belief, she secured his brilliant successes in all his military undertakings. „Our Quen”36 we are obliged to show our gratitude the lovable Mother of God). This hearztfelt cult of the Virgin finde expression in the convent of Mária-Zell and the Pauline monastery of Nosztra, located in the visinity or Márianosztra where Louis I so willingly spent time. This list could be continued but would merely confirm the above ... Louis the I‘s respect for the Paulines, however, could be further motivated with the image of the monarch enforcing also in his foreign policy external-chivalrous, as well as internal-spiritual values. At the age of fair Luois the Great got involved in a war with the Venetians; he made on oath that should he break the power of the Venetians, he will satisfy an old wish of the Paulines and bring the body of St. Paul the Hermit to Hungary. On 8th of August 1381 he concluded a peace with his enemies and one of the paragraphs of the peace was that the Republic of Venice should surrender the relics of the Saint to Louis the Great. To receive the relics he was accompanied by Bálint Alsáni, Bishop of Pécs and Pál Horváthi, Bishop of Zagreb. Besides the holy relics the delegates also brought back two of the relics of the Holy Innocents murdered by Herod. The relics of St Paul were removed, in an ornate wooden case, at night, on the 4th of October 1381, to avoid the emotional reaction of the people. The body of St Paul Hermit was first placed the St John Chapel’s in of the royal castle, then on 14th November, solemnly escorted by Demeter, archbisop of Esztergom, bishops and monks and was taken to the monastery of St Lawrence in the hills, two miles west of Buda. Know as the feast the translatio of St Paul the archbishop included this day among the Pauline holydays, allowing an annual festival. King Louis himself, who ascribed his victory over the Venetians to the intervention of St Paul, elected the Saint to be Hungary’s patron saint. The concern of Louis the Great extended beyond the acquisition of the relics to the verification of the 35 L. PÁSZTOR, A máriavölgyi kegyhely a XVII-XV111. században, in: Regnum, 1942-1943,563-600. 36 G. FEJÉR, Codex Diplomaticus, IX/4., 121. et 128.
