Great Rosary Victories of Our Lady

The in Turks consolidated Islamic power on that day was the largest and most and united under one sovereign, beautiful ship that was ever seen in Greece, October 7, 1571 Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman the Bosporus. It was a showcase of The Bay of Lepanto lies beyond was virtually undefeated in battle Turkish power and authority. The the Isthmus of Corinth connecting and so powerful that he considered Knights of Malta, who had pledged the Peloponnesus with mainland himself the undisputed of themselves to fight Islam, fought a Greece. A sea battle was fought here on East and West. His grandfather had battle that “has become a legend of October 7, 1571 that decided the fate of vowed to stable his horses beneath heroism.” Badly outnumbered, the Christendom. the Dome of St. Peter’s in Rome Knights stood their ground and at and to wind the Pope’s head with the end of the siege, three-quarters of The events leading to Lepanto began a turban. The Sultan was now in a the Turks perished leaving only 600 in the early 7th century when a young position to fulfill his grandfather’s Knights alive on the entire island. camel driver emerged from the desert dream. The remainder of the Turkish fleet of Arabia and claimed to be the limped back to to Prophet of Allah. From this modest The Knights of Malta rebuild their armada while making beginning, Islam began to spread There was only one slight detail that plans to reclaim their honor and rapidly. By the time the Prophet died, Suleiman the Magnificent needed prestige. all Arabs, whether by persuasion or to tend to before striking Europe. by the sword, had accepted Islam. This detail was a Christian outpost Saint In 638, Caliph Oman, Mohammed’s located on the Island of Malta. The The man who assumed the task of successor, rode into Jerusalem and knights of St. John had retreated to stemming the Islamic tide on the took control of the Holy Land. Spain the Island of Malta in 1565, when one hand, and of strengthening fell to Islamic rule in 712. Muslim they were driven from Rhodes by the nerve of the quaking Christian armies crossed the Pyrennes and the Turks. From their new position princes on the other, was not a reached as far north as Pointers, on Malta, the Knights of St. John bellicose statesman of great political before being stopped by could and did harass Turkish fleets prowess, but a monk of humble origin Charles Martel in 732. as they sailed back and forth from upon whom the mantle of the Papacy Constantinople, the capital of the fell. He was a Dominican, Pope Pius The Turks were a nomadic tribe Ottoman Turkish Empire, to Tripoli V. He was quite tireless in his efforts that embraced Islam. They in Northern Africa. Suleiman the to rally the Christian princes. As it spread their newly found religion Magnificent decided that it was time stood, Christian Europe was beginning throughout the Middle East, and to attack Malta. to cave in under the force of Islamic with the zeal of converts, began a pressure. Both Germany and France It is recorded that the flagship that campaign against Western Europe. were making conciliatory noises to In the Mediterranean region, the led the Sultan’s fleet against Malta

Signs and Wonders for Our Times • www.sign.org 61 Constantinople, even hoping for the fleet. Don Juan had distinguished On the morning of October 7, the a share in the seemingly inevitable himself in fighting the Moors in superior naval forces of the Turks event of Turkish victory. southern Spain. The Venetians sailed in traditional Islamic crescent agreed to rebuild the small fleet of formation from their harbor at There were only two nations that the Holy See. Navkapos (Lepanto in Italian). The were even vaguely interested in flagship of the Sultan carried a tooth forming a buttress for Christendom. Prayer was recognized as the strongest of the Prophet Mohammed encased These two nations were Venice and defense for Christendom and for the in a crystal ball to aid their forces Spain. Venice, on the Adriatic, had Holy League. Philip II traveled to the in battle. waged a largely ineffective defensive Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in war against the Turks. They had Extremadura, Spain. The Christian The Holy League’s forces looked out managed, however, to keep their fleet, having set sail in the middle of and saw a crimson banner billow sovereignty, but 300 years of war September, prayed the Rosary every on the Turkish flagship with Arabic had eroded their territory, their words of the Prophet set in gold. courage, and their finances. In response, Don Juan unfurled a dazzling banner of blue damask Spain at this time was led by with the figure of Christ crucified Philip II, a man extraordinarily embroidered in gold thread dedicated to the Catholic faith, surmounted the allied emblems. and sovereign of one of the The Holy League’s commander largest empires the world has ever lined up his own ships in the seen. He was the King of Spain, middle with the Venetians the Netherlands, and England, forming a line to his left and the the Master of , and Lord of Genoese on his right. The battle parts of the Western Hemisphere was on. and of the Philippines. Philip II responded somewhat cautiously With great speed the opposing to the Pope’s requests because his ships clashed. Much was at stake armies were committed elsewhere and both sides sacrificed heavily. to defend Spanish possessions. The Holy League lost about 8,000 lives and 17 of the 100 A new Sultan of the Turks, ships were sunk, but they Selim the Sot, came to power. He managed to free 15,000 Christian proclaimed himself “owner of galley slaves on the Turkish ships. all men’s necks” and he decided The Sultan’s 300 ship armada it was an appropriate time to lost 260 ships and about 30,000 officially include all European necks. day. After the ships assembled together men. on October 6 for final preparation, Entrusted to Our Lady Dominicans and Jesuits passed from During the thick of battle, Don Juan Pope Pius V clearly saw that the deck to deck hearing confessions and himself maneuvered his ship to the possibility of European capitulation offering Mass, while in Rome Pius V vanguard so that he could personally to Islam was now real. On March 7, ordered prayers to be said in all confront Ali Pasha, commander 1571, the feast day of St. Dominic at convents and monasteries of the city. of the Turkish fleet. The Turkish that time, this Dominican Pope signed The Holy League received orders to admiral was hit by a canon ball that his name to a document calling for the sail. Don Juan led the fleet from his instantly beheaded him. This was the establishment of a Holy League against flagship the Real, which sailed under turning point in the battle and by the Turks, which Spain and Venice later the blue banner of Our Lady of sunset the Turkish fleet was in total supported. It is recorded that with tears Guadalupe. disarray. in his eyes, he entrusted the Christian On the evening of October 6, Pope cause into the hands of Our Lady. Vision of the Victory Pius V led the prayer of the Holy During the evening on the day of Philip II of Spain agreed to send ships, Rosary at the Dominican convent of battle, Pope Pius V was in the midst troops, and his half-brother, 26-year Minerva in Rome. of discussions in his study in the old Don Juan of Austria to command Vatican when he suddenly broke

62 Spring 2014 • Signs and Wonders for Our Times away from his companions and The Battle of , The Turks approached Vienna and crossed to the window. He paused on July 13, surrounded it and began and with a radiant smile, turned to Austria 1683 and Our Lady the siege. When news reached King announce that a great victory had been of Czestochowa John, he raised his heart to heaven won that day for the Holy League. This The Turks no longer posed a and prayed, “Blessed Virgin of was more than two weeks before the serious threat on the seas – the Czestochowa, allow me two miracles: official courier from Venice arrived in Battle of Lepanto had broken their that those in Vienna shall resist the Rome. domination and Ottoman sea power siege until September and those of had been effectively contained in the us outside reach there in time to save October 7 – Feast of the Eastern Mediterranean. them.” Even though time was of the Holy Rosary essence, the King of Poland and his Pope Pius V decreed that October Now, 100 years after Lepanto, Europe advisors went to Jasna Gora to pray 7 would thereafter be celebrated as was faced with land invasion. In before the Black Madonna. After the Feast of Our Lady of Victories in Northern Europe a man named four days of prayer, as King John III honor of the triumph accorded all John Sobieski assumed the Polish Sobieski was preparing to leave the of Christendom at Lepanto. Gregory throne. He was famous for having shrine, a priest handed him a picture XIII instituted the Feast of the Holy out together a formidable army, of the Madonna suspended from Rosary in 1573. It was later extended spearheaded by a cavalry unit unlike a gold chain. The King gratefully to the universal Church by Clement any that Europe had ever seen before. accepted it and slipped it over his XI. Benedict XIII added it to the It was not until the Star and Crescent head and began the march with Breviary with the explanation that the of the Turkish Empire ruled the between 26,000 to 27,000 armed Turks were defeated on the very day on Danube River, flew over Polish troops. which the Confraternities of the Most , and was on the march The walled city of Vienna was Holy Rosary throughout the world were toward Vienna, when the Papal legate surrounded by a ring of Turks. The offering up their rosaries as they had arrived in Warsaw to request urgent aid Turks had almost as many tents been asked to do by Pope St. Pius V. from Poland. There was a vast Turkish pitched around Vienna as Sobieski Pope Leo XIII (who heard God army poised to lay siege to Vienna. had fighting men. The Turkish permitting Satan 100 years to sift Neither the Germans nor the Austrians fighting army numbered about the Church) wrote no less than 12 had been able to defeat the Turkish 115,000 reinforcements from Austria encyclicals letters on devotion to the invaders. Only King John III Sobieski and Germany. Rosary and dedicated the entire month had been victorious over them, and not just once, but three times. At 3:15 in the morning of September of October to Our Lady of the Holy 12, 1683, the Feast of the Holy Rosary. Name of Mary, King John III The Venetian attitude was to arose, prayed, put on the picture honor unequivocally the Holy of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. and launched the attack. It is said They commissioned the building that the Polish men had the words, of a chapel to Our Lady of the “Mary, help us” on their lips as they Rosary. The walls were lined with met the Turks in fierce combat. records of the battle for there was The battle was over surprisingly no doubt in the Venetian mind early in the day. After the victory, of the cause of their victory… John Sobieski, King of Poland, They inscribed the legend for all declared, “I came, I saw, and God to see: Neither Valor, Nor Arms, conquered.” Nor Leaders, But Our Lady Of The Rosary Gave Victory.

Signs and Wonders for Our Times • www.sign.org 63