The most significant Christian farewell of all Hungarians in the world is held in the church of Czíksomlyó in Transylvania.
Every year, on the occasion of Pentecost, the faithful go from here to the open-air mass held in the saddle between the nearby Kissomlyó-hegy and Nagysomlyó-hegy. The procession is traditionally opened by the cross of Gyergyóalfalu and closed by the csangós of Gyimes and Moldavia.
Followers of the Roman Catholic Church in Csíksomlyó can receive a full absolution if they visit the sanctuary and participate in the holy mass in the state of grace of the sacrament of confession.
The famous statue of Mary surrounded by a wreath of rays, standing on the globe and the crescent moon, with a halo of twelve stars around her head, is located in the church of the Shrine of Mary, founded by the observant branch of the Franciscan order. There is a human face on the crescent moon. He holds a queen's scepter in his right hand, the child Jesus in his left, and the heads of both statues are decorated with crowns. The 227-centimeter, gilded, painted linden statue may originally have been the central figure of a winged altar and dates from the beginning of the 16th century.
However, the history of the church and monastery in Csíksomlyó dates back to even older times, to the 15th century. It was then that the Franciscan monks settled here, who built the first Gothic church and monastery between 1442 and 1448. János Hunyadi also contributed to the construction, from the spoils obtained from his victory over the Turks. The church was consecrated in honor of Our Lady of Sarlós. Today is also his farewell day.
Only a portal and a cellar window remain from the first monastery, it was destroyed by the Turks in 1661. The attackers partly killed the Szeklers who fled here, and partly took them away as slaves. The victims were buried in a mass grave in front of the church. In 1694, a Tatar army also attacked Csíksomlyo. Due to the destruction caused by the war, the buildings were regularly rebuilt, but by 1802 they were too small and the Franciscan fathers decided to build a new church.
The new baroque church was built in 1804 according to the plans of the architect Konstantin Schmidt. It was consecrated on August 20, 1876 by Bishop Mihály Fogarasy of Transylvania, in 1948 by XII. Pope Piusz raised it to the rank of basilica minor.
Festive program:
Friday, June 3
- 17.00: prayer hour in the church
- 18.00: opening mass, followed by a celebratory rosary,
- vigil at dawn from Friday to Saturday in the church of grace.
Saturday, June 4
- 7.30: Holy Mass in the church,
- 10.30: departure of the cordon from the square in front of the church to the Hármashalom altar,
- 10.00: solemn rosary in the saddle,
- 11.00: Adoration in the saddle,
- 12:30 p.m.: celebratory mass in the saddle, with Archbishop György Udvardy of Veszprém as the main celebrant and speaker.
- 17.00: Csangó Holy Mass in the St. Peter and Paul Parish Church,
- 6:00 p.m.: Pentecost vigil mass in the church of grace,
vigil at dawn from Saturday to Sunday in the church of grace.
June 5, Pentecost Sunday
Masses in the church: 7.00 a.m., 8.00 a.m., 10.30 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.
Whit Monday, June 6, Memorial Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Masses in the church: 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The guardians of the Maria shrine in Csíksomlyó, the Transylvanian Franciscans, warmly welcome the pilgrims and encourage everyone to prepare for the holiday with a spirit of prayer, promoting peace and reconciliation in their communities.
Source: hirado.hu
