intangible cultural heritage

Pilgrimage dedicated to Virgin Mary in Vasvár

area : Vasi Hegyhát
category : social practices
In the 18th century, when life restarted in the region after the Ottoman period, a new form of pilgrimage was born. It was typical for the Baroque times that the worship for Virgin Mary became popular. The importance of the Dominicans returning home was unquestionable in this process, just like their devotional statue they brought with themselves from Szombathely.
Mary’s adoration was strengthened also by the rebuilding of Vasvár’s ancient parish church dedicated to Virgin Mary. Pilgrimage was and still is important in Vasvár. On the feast day of Assumption of Mary (15th of August) a procession marches to the Graveyard Chapel, and since 1989 on the day of 8 September (feast of Nativity of Mary) a crowd goes to the Holy Well with candles at the evening.
The Holy Well welcomes its visitors with a beautiful ancient beech forest, a chapel, and crystal clear spring water with a touching legend connected to it.
Vasvár was a well-known place of pilgrimage in the middle ages. At that time, people were coming for the ‘Holy Blood Relic’. Unfortunately, nowadays we have only very few information about it. All we know that it was a „ Sacramental Bread bestrew with miraculous blood’” but we have nothing about its real origin. Similar relics were known in Europe in the 14-15th century. They were mainly connected to testimonies about the Eucharist started to bleed in the hands of a non-believing priest or when the wine turned into blood.
In the beginning of the 16th century great masses were visiting Vasvár's Blood Relic At the beginning of the 16th century a great mass of people came regularly to visit Vasvár’s Holy Blood relic after Pope Alexander VI granted indulgence to all those visiting the site. During the Ottoman occupation period both the religious and secular life ceased to exist, therefore the tradition of the pilgrimage has perished.

In the 18th century, during the revival of the town also the pilgrimage got restarted, but in a new form. According to the new religiousness of the Baroque era, the adoration of Mary came to foreground. The first mentioning of the devotional statue of Mary and the Holy Well was in 1747.
Mary’s adoration was strengthened also by the rebuilding of Vasvár’s ancient parish church dedicated to Virgin Mary.
A description says that a huge crowd came for the consecration in 15th August, 1774. Thanks to the encouragement of József Batthyány bishop's speech, the locals repeated the visit to Vasvár every year as a pilgrimage. The other famous destination for pilgrims in Vasvár is the previously mentioned Holy Well. The date of the pilgrimage firstly was on Young Blissful Lady's day. Today most people visit it on Nativity of Mary but there are a lot of pilgrims there on the day of Mary’s Assumption, too.

Although there are many fabulous explanations, the true origins of the pilgrimage traditions are unknown. The oldest among them has roots to the middle ages. According to this, Dominican monks fleeing from the Turks hid their favourite picture of the Virgin Mary in the hole of an old tree in the forest around the Holy Well. Later, the returners could not find the picture. They cut the tree and from this place a spring rose; and in the water of the spring they claimed to see the image of Virgin Mary. Since then this place is the goal of pilgrimage (Holy Well).

This legend is depicted also in the town; it is visible on a building's wall.
Regarding the pilgrimage to the Holy Well also the hermits played an important role; their devoted life attracted many believers to the site. Hermits lived at the Holy Well since the second half of the 18th century. One of them gave a great contribution to the popularization of the Holy Well. Ferenc Horvát, a former soldier who lost his eyesight while serving in the army. He has spent many years without seeing anything, until his parents brought him the Holy Well. He washed his eyes in the water of the Holy Well and regained his eyesight. (From then the locals called him Saint Francis and he lived there as a hermit). He had a chapel built near the Holy Well and was active as a caretaker for the pilgrims.

The pilgrimage to the Holy Well became popular from the middle of 19th century. Pilgrims came here from all Transdanubia, but mostly from Vas and Zala Counties and from the villages of the Slovenians (vend) and Germans (sváb) living in South West Hungary.
According to the example of Ferenc Horváth the water of the Holy Well was regarded as an effective remedy for eye diseases. The pilgrims usually washed their eyes and took the water home in jugs.

Before the turn of the century, the church at the Holy Well was made of wood, and the water was lead in a wooden riffle (that was in which the pilgrims washed their faces). The chapel we can see today was built in 1900, the Lourdes Cave in 1930, and the environment of them was straightened up several times since then.
Pilgrimage is important in Vasvár today as well. At Great Blissful Lady's Day a procession marches to the Graveyard Chapel, and since 1989 before the day of Mary's name day a crowd goes to the Holy Well with candles at the evening.
The Holy Well welcomes its visitors with a beautiful ancient beech forest, a chapel, and crystal clear spring water with a legend connected to it.
At the Holy Well, a brand new outdoor stage, and a viewpoint can also be found. In the valley of the Holy Well, thanks to a woodcarver camp, and to some master woodcarvers, statues can be seen on the way leading fountain.
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