As part of the ad limina Apostolorum visit of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference, the inauguration and blessing of the mosaic of the Magna Domina Hungarorum, Patroness of Hungary, took place in the Vatican Gardens on Thursday morning, November 5.
Archbishop Emilio Nappa, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, blessed the mosaic and delivered a welcome address.
The ceremony was attended by Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Bishop János Székely of Szombathely, President of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop György Udvardy of Veszprém, Vice President of the same Bishops’ Conference, Dr. István Czeti, Deputy State Secretary responsible for Church Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Péter Kveck, Ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See, Monsignor András Törő, Rector of the Pontifical Hungarian Ecclesiastical Institute, the Bishops present for their ad limina Apostolorum visit, and Hungarian priests, men and women religious and lay faithful residing in Rome.
The Hungarian people’s devotion to the Virgin Mary dates back to ancient times. Since the 11th century, she has been venerated as the Blessed Queen (Boldogasszony) or the Great Lady (Magna Domina – Nagyasszony). The Legend of Saint Gerard the Martyr refers to the tradition among the faithful of never pronouncing Mary’s name without reverence, but instead addressing her by the honorific title used for the queen.
The Virgin Mary was proclaimed Patroness of Hungary by Pope Leo XIII in 1896, in response to a request from the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference. The Pope granted a proper liturgical feast in honor of the Virgin Mary under the title Magna Domina Hungarorum, initially celebrated on the second Sunday of October. In 1910, Saint Pius X moved the feast to October 8.
Greeting of Vatican City’s Secretary General
The following is the address delivered by the Secretary General Archbishop Emilio Nappa.
I extend a cordial greeting to:
His Eminence Cardinal Péter Erdő, Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest;
His Excellency Bishop János Székely of Szombathely, President of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference;
His Excellency Archbishop György Udvardy of Veszprém, Vice President of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference;
Dr. István Czeti, Deputy State Secretary responsible for Church Affairs;
His Excellency Mr. Péter Kveck, Ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See;
Monsignor András Törő, Rector of the Pontifical Hungarian Ecclesiastical Institute;
All the Bishops making their ad limina Apostolorum visit;
The Ambassadors and Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps;
The Authorities and all those present.
We are gathered here to strengthen the profound and historic bond between the Hungarian people and the Successor of Peter through the inauguration and blessing of the mosaic dedicated to the Magna Domina Hungarorum in the Vatican Gardens.
This bond dates back to the earliest days of the evangelization of Hungary, to the work of King Saint Stephen I, and to the solicitude of the Pontiffs for your people, who embraced the faith more than a thousand years ago.
There is a strong and filial devotion to the See of Peter, as demonstrated by the presence of the Hungarian Chapel in the Vatican Grottoes. There, a bronze statue of the Magna Domina Hungarorum is venerated, together with a life-size statue of Saint Stephen, depicted descending the steps and approaching the Virgin Mary to present her with his crown and his entire people.
In this regard, Saint John Paul II, in his address to the participants in the Jubilee Pilgrimage from Hungary on October 9, 2000, emphasized:
“The special relationship which binds your people to the See of Peter finds significant expression in the Hungarian Chapel in the Vatican Grottoes, which I myself had the joy of blessing twenty years ago on the feast of the Magna Domina Hungarorum, to whom you have also entrusted your Jubilee pilgrimage.”
The Hungarian Chapel thus stands as a testimony to your people’s fidelity to the Successor of Peter, for it was Saint Stephen himself who promoted the establishment of a house for Hungarians in Rome, near the Tomb of the Apostle.
Pope Francis, too, during the Regina Caeli prayer on April 30, 2023, recited in Budapest during his Apostolic Journey to Hungary, offered a prayer to your Patroness:
“To her, the Magna Domina Hungarorum, whom you invoke as Queen and Patroness, I entrust all Hungarians. And from this great city and this noble country, I would like to place in her heart the faith and the future of the entire European continent, which has been much on my mind in these days, and especially the cause of peace.”
I conclude with the words of Pope Leo XIV, spoken during the prayer of the Rosary and the torchlight procession on the esplanade of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on September 27, during his Apostolic Journey to France:
“We are called to persevere on our journey, again and again, for as long as we are granted days of life in this world, where Mary goes before us. And we will run with confidence toward her, whose Immaculate Conception shines like a beacon in the night.”
I extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed to this initiative, and in particular to the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference.
