Marie de Nazareth
To Jesus, through Mary
The shrine of Our Lady of Máriapócs is a Catholic church of Byzantine rite located in a small village of Hungary, bordering Ukraine.
The image venerated there is an ancient icon of Mary, of the type "Hodigitria" ("Who shows the Way").
An inscription reads: "I, a servant of God, had this icon painted for the forgiveness of my sins."
The miracle of tears
On November 4, 1696, on the northeastern plains of Hungary, which were then devastated and abandoned by the Turks, in the poor village church of Pócs, the faithful who attended Divine Liturgy noticed that the the icon of Virgin Hodigitria was in tears. (1)
The phenomenon was repeated until December 8th, and observed by myriads of people from Hungary and neighboring countries.
The priest collected these precious pearls of "mercy" in a silk handkerchief and sent them to the bishop of Eger; the investigation confirmed the supernatural nature of the occurrence.
Emperor Leopold I then ordered that the icon be transferred to Vienna. During the summer of summer of 1697, it was escorted to Vienna by a military guard, and enthroned on the main altar of the Cathedral of St Stephen.
The historical relevance of this miracle for Hungary:
Budapest was under Ottoman rule (Turkish Muslims) from 1541 to 1686. In 1693, Emperor Leopold I renewed the national act of trust to Mary. Three years later, in 1696, the miracle of tears took place on the icon "Hodigitria" in Máriapócs; and the following year, in 1697, the Turks were definitively driven out of the Austro-Hungarian territory.
Second and third lacrimation (1715 and 1905):
While the original icon was placed in Vienna, a copy of the icon was given to Máriapócs. That copy also wept, from August 1-15, 1715.
A third lacrimation happened in 1905 and lasted a month.
And today...
During the communist period (1945-1991), the shrine remained open to visitors. In 1946, for the 250th anniversary of the first miracle, Cardinal Mindszenty celebrated mass for more than 200,000 faithful.
Saint John Paul II celebrated mass at this shrine—in the Byzantine rite—on August 18, 1991. He prayed for unity between Orthodox and Catholics.
The main feast days at the shrine are:
- The feast of the Nativity of Mary, on September 8th
- The feast of the Assumption of Mary, on August 15th (the celebrations begin on the afternoon of August 14th and to go until the evening of August 15th late at night, with prayers for the living and the dead).
Shrine of Mariapocs
Kossuth tér 25
H-4326 Mariapocs - Hungary
Tel / fax : + 36/24 - 385.142
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