Gulyás Éva: Egy őszi pásztorünnep és európai párhuzamai: Adatok a Vendel-kultusz magyarországi kutatásához – Szolnok megyei múzeumok közleményei 42. (1986)

(Pelzmantel) and with a shepherd's hat on, with a piglet or lambkin lying at his feet. Interestingly, the bag is dropped on the back of the figure. This is the relic of an ancient custom in this region

. The colour painted statues of Jászberény (1866) and Pórtelek with folk character were made in the second half of the 19th century. The Saint Wendelinus statue in Jászberény has the face with a moustache, a sheepskin coat on the shoulder, and an ewe and ram lying at his feet. The statue at Pórtelek was prepared in a similar way, Wendelinus holding circular ewe-cheese in his hand. The greatest number of statues were erected in Jazygia, eg. in Jászapáti and Jászboldogháza at the beginning of the 20th century. In the latter place the statue is fairly archaic, even the folds of the wide tr users have been formed by the stone-carver master. The realistic portrayal of the collar on the sheepskin-coat is also worth mentioning here. The statues were made by local stone-carvers, but masters from „other" areas, from the counties of Heves and Borsod, were also invited. Being aware of the tendencies of the cult towards the north we cannot consider these relations as accidental. In popularizing the cult of Saint Wendelin, István Orosz (1838 — 1922), a peasant-poet and leader of parish-feasts from Jászladány (county of Szolnok) played an improtant role. His autobiography was published by Sándor Bálint, a famous scholar of Hungarian sacral ethnography, under the title of „A Hungarian Saintly Person". István Orosz was an uneducated peasant with talent for poetry, propagating the veneration to other saints, too. He eddited a special book for the veneration to Saint Wendelinus, containing the poet's own works. Its title was: „Veneration to Glorious Saint Wendelinus, patron against pestilence". The book was issued several times, fist at the end of the last century. István Orosz displayed his activity primarily in Jazygia, being present at parish-feasts. Through his publicatons of religious content however, he gained importance all over the country. Most of the Wendelinus-songs and prayers known among the people come from him. Many smaller zones of the Wendelinus-cult were formed in the eastern part of Hungary, on the Plains. He is also known along the stream Tápió, in Little Cumania in South-Central Hungary, in the vicinity of Szeged and in the former diocese of Csanád. He was known sporadically in the territory east of the River Tisza and on the Plains, mainly in settlements colonized by German people. His veneration in some areas of the Plains is equal to the customs of Saint Michel's day (29 of Sept.) and to 144