"Maria ist ein Gefäß und Templ aller Lebens und Heyls" Testi és lelki gyógyulás a 18. századi Ausztriában

In the 18th century, a rich cult developed around the original icon of Pócs, which was transported to Vienna in 1697, as evidenced by the numerous prints published in honour of the icon. In addition to sermons, publications for the feast days of the icon, and booklets on the icon, the stories of prayer meetings connected with the icon were also collected. The Heylsamer Gnaden-Brunn, published in 1703, and its enlarged edition of 1739, the Erneuert- und vermehrter Gnaden-Brunn, not only preserved the accounts of miracles, but also the celebrations following the arrival of the icon, the liturgical veneration of the icon, its valuable votive offe-rings, its feast days, the forms of private religious practice, and the hymns and prayers written for the icon. The second half of the books contains the 286 fulfilled prayers attributed to the intercession of the Madonna of Pócs. The qualitative analysis of the texts provides information on the pilgrims who visited the icon between 1697 and 1739, which cannot be reconstructed from other sources. The present study provides a brief insight into this segment of the icon’s cult.