Abstract

My paper presents a legend tradition related to a well-known Hungarian (Transyl­vanian) place of pilgrimage. Csíksomlyó (Miercurea–Ciuc/Sumuleu) – cur­rently part of Romania ‒ has become a significant place of pilgrimage in the 20th century, similarly to Austria’s Mariazell, Spain’s Santiago de Compostela, the Orthodox Church’s Athos, or the main international shrines to the Virgin Mary (Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje). Around this famous pilgrimage place known from the 15th century a thematically rich legend circle has developed over the centuries, typical of Hungarian folklore, which abounds in historical and narrative traditions. At the centre of the group of legends stands the statue of the Virgin Mary, of gothic origin, the miraculous reputation of which is complemented by several historical legend themes (foundational traditions, wars, heroes and saints, crime and punish­ment and other legend motifs inspired by the sacred place). I highlight the most important historical perspectives, the chronological characteristics, the geographical distribution and, above all, the typological diversity of these legends. The legend circle of the shrine of Csíksomlyó in Romania is the totality of the related narrative traditions, that is to say, both the hundred-year-old miracle stories found in written form in different historical sources, and the recent folklore texts collected from oral tradi­tion. Although the time and the circumstances of the records differ significantly, the aim of the narration and the topic of the legends are the same. The legends about the shrine – separated into the given thematic groups – are an organic part of the Catalogue of Hungarian Historical Legends.

Highlights

  • My paper presents a legend tradition related to a well-known Hungarian (Transylvanian) place of pilgrimage

  • Csíksomlyó (Miercurea–Ciuc/Sumuleu) – currently part of Romania ‒ has become a significant place of pilgrimage in the 20th century, to Austria’s Mariazell, Spain’s Santiago de Compostela, the Orthodox Church’s Athos, or the main international shrines to the Virgin Mary (Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje). Around this famous pilgrimage place known from the 15th century a thematically rich legend circle has developed over the centuries, typical of Hungarian folklore, which abounds in historical and narrative traditions

  • At the centre of the group of legends stands the statue of the Virgin Mary, of gothic origin, the miraculous reputation of which is complemented by several historical legend themes

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Summary

Thaly 1861

146. 7 See Losteiner’s Chronologia, completed in 1777: 1742. This information was taken from the history of the monastery, copied from the archives of the convent of Kolozsmonostor (P. Boros 1994: 138). 7 See Losteiner’s Chronologia, completed in 1777: 1742. This information was taken from the history of the monastery, copied from the archives of the convent of Kolozsmonostor This historical tradition is certainly a several centuries old legend in the Csíksomlyó region, to the church founding traditions of which there are numerous examples in the Carpathian basin.. Pic. No 4.: Statue of Saint Ladislas in the devotional church (photo by Zoltán Magyar, 2009). It is likely that the other origin tradition of the chapel, attributing it to angels belongs to the medieval legend circle. The building of the chapel by angels is mentioned in a local collection of names from 1864.10 This tradition is supplemented by the motif of the heavenly ladder reaching down to the Chapel of the Salvator from the sky (on which angels go up and down) [Appendix 1.] and by the motif of the angels’ song heard on the holy moun-

Kőváry 1852
11 Kőváry 1852
39 Mohay 2015a
60 Tánczos 1991
61 Tánczos 1991
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