engleski

Our Lady of Mercy : A unique cult in two places, two countries, on two dates

The author in this paper explores the historical, military, political and religious conditions in which, at the end of the 17th and the beginning of 18th century, after establishing the border between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire, in two different places, on two different dates, with two different names, a unique pilgrimage cult has been formed- the cult of honoring the Mother of Mercy- the cult of The Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven: 1. at Šćit in Rama (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Our Lady of Rama, on September 8th and 2. in Sinj (Republic of Croatia), Our Lady of Sinj, on August 15th. The process of forming of this unique two-named cult starts at the end of the 17th century, at the time after the Cretan War (1645-1669), and then after the Great Turkish War (1662-1699) when the forces of Ottoman Empire, which were significantly weakened, started withdrawing, faced with forces which were getting stronger, forces of the Venetian Republic, as well as those forces of the European powers of that time, which were united in the Holy League. In those circumstances, the Venetians, after the liberation of Sinj and Cetinska Krajina (1687) wanted, in that region, which was at the time sparsely populated, to create a strong border towards the Ottoman Empire, whose safekeeping would not present any cost for the State. In order to achieve that, the Venetians have used the already tested tactics of the “humane resettlement” with providing a formal religious reason. As the especially appropriate ethnic-religious Christian "reservoir of border lords" was, according their point of view, the region of Middle Bosnia, Duvanjsko and Livanjsko Polje, from where they had already resettled to those regions, and particularly Rama, where Franciscans had been active and in which the cult of Mother of Mercy has already been honored. With the urge of the Venetian governors, the friars of Rama, led by guardian fr Pavao Vučković, had accepted the prepared scenario of the "humane resettlement". In order to, allegedly, preserve the population and the cult, they set out in 1687 with a part of the population to Sinjsko Polje, while carrying with them, apart from other things, the "miraculous" painting of the Mother of Mercy, which will, as they believed, thanks to her intercession with God, help the Christian defenders to take victory against the Ottoman Turks, in the deciding battle beneath Sinj in 1715. For those war "credits" the Mother of Mercy will be crowned with a golden crown and she will be honored with the construction of a special church to which pilgrims will come and pray for their needs. With that, the scenario of the "humane resettlement" came to its end: namely, in those conditions, the fugitive people of Rama should not have had any reason to go back to their homeland, Rama ; they had everything at one place: the same family and home they knew and a believing community (from Rama) familiar to them, the same "miraculous” painting of the Mother of Mercy (even though it was named differently- Our Lady of Sinj) and its clergy- friars of Rama. However, the remaining part of the Christian population in Rama continued to honor the cult of the Mother of Mercy, but by another name- Lady of Rama. Today, in two neighboring countries (Republic Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina), in two different places (in Rama and in Sinj), the tradition of pilgrimage honoring the same cult of the Mother of Mercy has been continued, i.e. the celebration of her assumption into Heaven, but by two different names and on two different dates: Our Lady of Rama (September 9) and Our Lady of Sinj (August 15). From those believers' pilgrimage devoutness originated, also at the border, a folklore-but religiously driven - national celebration - Sinjska Alka. Lately, the realization of the cross-border cooperation on the project named “Our Lady of Sinj Route” has been going on, and its construction is financed by the European Union.

pilgrimage, Mother of Mercy, Our Lady of Rama, Our Lady of Sinj, pilgrimage, Sinjska Alka, Our Lady of Sinj Route

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