Agria 43. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2007)
Lukács László: Óvjad jégtől, csapásoktól gyümölcsünket, szőlőnket… Szent Donát tisztelete
László Lukács Spare our fruits, our grapes from ice and inclement weather Devotion to St. Donatus For vinegrowers, particularly those in Transdanubia, Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia) and Transylvania, St Donatus, martyr bishop of Arezzo, is a popular patron saint. Devotion to the saint began in earnest in Germany during the baroque period. When his relics were being taken from Rome to Münster in the Rhineland an accompanying priest was struck by lightning only to survive unscathed. It was a miracle that was explained by the divine intervention of St Donatus. Devotion to the saint consequently spread rapidly in the Rhine wine region. Since the 18 th century processions have also been held and supplications made to the saint in Austria and Hungary on his feast day (August 7 th ) to ward off natural disasters, lightning and hail. Devotion to St Donatus in Székesfehérvár dates back to the 18 th century. A chapel dedicated to St Donatus was built on top of Öreghegy, a hill which had seen vine cultivation since the Middle Ages. A St Donatus day procession took place to the vineyard chapel from the churches of Székesfehérvár until the Second World War. The chapel was destroyed at the end of the war when the ammunition it was storing exploded. With the reconstruction of the chapel in 1993-94 the cult of St Donatus revived. Now, as every year since its reconstruction, the feast day of St Donatus is celebrated at the chapel. A procession is followed by a mass celebrated by the local bishop, in which particular attention is paid to the life of the martyr bishop St Donatus, and his role as protector of the vineyards. The church built in Csókakő in the Mór wine region in 1772-73 is also dedicated to St Donatus. A two-day patronal festival continues to be held there: the celebrations held on the Sunday immediately after August 7 th on behalf of the whole region is accompanied by a festive mass, where the invited guests are treated to a special festive banquet. On the Monday village celebrations are held for the people of Csókakő, who take the day off especially. A statue of Saint Donatus was erected in the centre of the village in 2006 on the initiative of the local council. In 1724 Buda chose St Donatus as its patron saint to protect the town against lightning. The saint's day was accompanied by great celebrations. At the turn of the 18 th and 19 th centuries an outdoor mass was held every July 14 th next to the column containing an image of Saint Donatus. In 1716 bishop of Eger Gábor Erdődy had a statue of St Donatus put up in the Cigléd vineyards. It became the focus of a procession that took place on the 324
