Our Lady of Celldömölk

Marian title of Celldömölk (West)

There is no broad synthesis in Spanish about Our Lady of Celldömölk (Kiscell); the available data come mainly from the local Hungarian tradition and the history of the Benedictine monastery of Celldömölk, known as the "little Mariazell" (Kiscell), in reference to the great Austrian Marian shrine of Mariazell. According to tradition, the foundation of the sanctuary is due to the arrival, in the 18th century, of a copy of the imagen milagrosa de Mariazellwho soon attracted the devotion of the faithful and named the place "Kiscell" (literally, "little Zell / little Mariazell"). Since the detailed documentation is not easily accessible in Spanish and free-consultation sources, it does not accurately record the exact year of arrival of the image or the name of the first custodian of the image.

Main data

Origin and history

There is no broad synthesis in Spanish about Our Lady of Celldömölk (Kiscell); the available data come mainly from the local Hungarian tradition and the history of the Benedictine monastery of Celldömölk, known as the "little Mariazell" (Kiscell), in reference to the great Austrian Marian shrine of Mariazell. According to tradition, the foundation of the sanctuary is due to the arrival, in the 18th century, of a copy of the imagen milagrosa de Mariazellwho soon attracted the devotion of the faithful and named the place "Kiscell" (literally, "little Zell / little Mariazell"). Since the detailed documentation is not easily accessible in Spanish and free-consultation sources, it does not accurately record the exact year of arrival of the image or the name of the first custodian of the image.

In the historically documented plane, Celldömölk is located in the the county of Vas, in the west of Hungaryand the present Marian sanctuary developed around a monasterio benedictino and his church, which over time became an important reference of regional pilgrimage. The popular designation of Kiscell as "the Hungarian Mariazell" is attested to in the toponym and in the tradition of pilgrimages between Austria and Hungary, in which the spiritual continuity is emphasized with the famous Austrian shrine of Mariazell, one of the great Marian centers of Central Europe.

Due to the lack of open access to specific and detailed documentation of the Celldömölk shrine in easy-to-verify Hispanic or international sources, there are no certain dates of canonical erection of the sanctuary or of historical milestones (reforms, destruction, reconstructions) similar to those of other great Hungarian sanctuaries such as Máriaprescs. Many details should therefore be left in the field of undocumented local tradition.

The image and the sanctuary

Tradition indicates that the venerated image in Celldömölk is a copy of the imagen de Mariazell, that is, a representation of the Virgin with the Child associated with the famous Austrian sanctuary. It does not contain in the sources consulted, with sufficient precision, the exact type (estatuita de heel, relieve o icono) ni el material (polychrome wood, dress image, etc.), not a detailed iconographic description beyond its Mariazell replica character. This is why it is only a matter of rigour: Marian image of Central European style, linked to the iconography of Mariazell, venerated as an image of graces and favors.

The sanctuary is erected around the iglesia benedictina de Celldömölkwhich appears in the fountains as a monastic church and local Marian sanctuary, within the corresponding diocese in western Hungary. It is not in the documentation easily accessible that the church has the official title of minor basilicaor that it has been declared National sanctuary of Hungary; this title is recognized, in an explicit and documented manner, to the Onions, as a national sanctuary in 2005. For Celldömölk, therefore, it can only be said with certainty that it is a regional / diocesan Marian sanctuary, associated with the Benedictine presence, without a pontifical title of a minor basilica that is publicly recorded.

Sponsorship and coronation

La advocación de Our Lady of Celldömölk (Kiscell) has a mainly local and regional sponsorship. It can be said for certain that it is linked to the ciudad de Celldömölk and its immediate environment, where the presence of the monastery and the Marian image has marked the religious identity of the place. However, there is no national patronage of Hungary, since the most prominent national Marian reference in the documentation is the Virgin of Máriapercs and other Hungarian claims of greater irradiation.

As for the canonical coronation, does not contain a documented canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Celldömölk. It is not mentioned in the usual lists of coronated Marian images or in the international spread of coronations in Hungary, where other Marian shrines are documented. Accordingly, in accordance with the requested rule: does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

In accessible and verifiable sources, a fecha de fiesta litúrgica propia universally recognized for Our Lady of Celldömölk (Kiscell). There is likely to be a local celebration linked either to the dedication of the church, or to a Marian solemnity (for example, the Nativity of the Virgin, the Assumption or the feast of some general Marian title), but such data are not safely recorded in open sources, so it is not possible to set a specific date.

La devotion It is part of the deep Marian tradition of Hungary, a nation consecrated to the Virgin Mary from St Stephen, as other shrines of the country show. Celldömölk is inserted into the regional Marian pilgrimages which connect Hungary with the great shrines of Central Europe, especially Mariazell in Austria, of which it is considered "small replica" spiritual. There are no figures of influx or detailed descriptions of great national pilgrimages, but the veneration of the image has contributed to the Christian identity of western Hungary and to keeping Mariazell's memory alive on Hungarian territory.

Link to the Rosary

In the sources consulted, a specific and documented relationship between the advocation of Our Lady of Celldömölk (Kiscell) and the prayer of Rosary (for example, co-fradies of the Rosary, particular indulgences or titles explicitly linked to this prayer). It should therefore be made clear that does not contain a connection of the sanctuary to the Rosary beyond ordinary Marian practice.

However, as in most Marian shrines in Central Europe, the Rosary It is part of the usual devotional life of the faithful: it is a prayer that accompanies pilgrimages, Marian vigil and popular piety, allowing the mysteries of the life of Christ to be meditated by the hand of Mary. In a place like Celldömölk, which is presented as "little Mariazell," the Rosary helps to maintain the spiritual unity with other shrines of the region and to live, in contemplative key, the spiritual motherhood of the Virgin, putting under her protection the personal, family and ecclesial life of the pilgrims.