Among our local and regional places of pilgrimage ours, in Osijek Tvrđa, takes pride in its interesting history. For three centuries has Our Lady been honoured and invoked here as Our Lady of Osijek, but that is not her real name!

Earlier she was honoured as Our Lady of Jud, because she came in 1703 to our city from Mariagyud, a Hungarian place called Jud in Croatian. Her stay in Osijek had been supposed to be brief – only until the imminent danger passed which had made her leave Jud in the first place, but it unexpectedly prolonged. Devotion to her became common and from the mid-18th ct., viz. 1758, she has been prayed to under her present name – Our Lady of Osijek. It came to existence just as many other names: Our Lady of Trsat, Mother of God of Bistrica, Our Lady of Olovo, etc. In local churches many prayers were granted and many miracles happened on Mary's intercession, so the faithful started to supplicate to her and show devotion to her under that specific local name.

The history of the statue of Our Lady of Osijek is tumultuous. Art historians estimate with reasonable certainty 1425 as the year of its making. It was ordered by brothers Franciscans of the free royal town of Koprivnica, and it was carved by an unknown artist somewhere in Styria for the main altar of the Franciscan church of Holy Mary in Koprivnica. But as in the mid-16th ct. Turks threatened Koprivnica the Franciscans had to leave the town, and, as it was the holy custom, they took their most valuable asset: Mary's statue from the altar.

As they returned to Koprivnica in 17th ct. the Franciscans built a new church and dedicated it to St. Anthony of Padua. Although the precious statue of Mary was, as was expected, not put on the altar, it was revealed for devotion on feast-days of Our Lady.

Turkish army overrun not only Croatia but Hungary as well. Among other religious objects, Franciscan monastery in Siklos was destroyed and the church in Mariagyud devastated, where the pastoral duties were carried out by the Franciscans from Siklos. In that period the miraculous statue of Our Lady disappeared.

In the aftermath of the Turkish retreat from Slavonia and Baranja (after 1682) the material and spiritual renewal began on the whole liberated territory. Accordingly the church in Jud was restored, but it was still devoid of the image of Our Lady. P. Elzear Pavić, superior of the Siklos monastery and fervent restorer of sacral buildings, was not at peace with such situation. As he was on some business in Koprivnica in 1689 he made enquiries with the local guardian regarding a painting or a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The answer of the guardian of Koprivnica offered a ray of hope. He instructed him, namely, to take a look at the monastery attic where the monks deposited the old church inventory that they had salvaged from Koprivnica several years earlier. P. Elzear searched the attic and found the statue that had kept the Koprivnica Franciscans safe in days of their exile, and with which they had returned to Koprivnica some years ago. When he wiped off the dust, the statue blazed in sunlight in its full shine and beauty. P. Elzear kissed it and whispered: "Come with me to Jud, an empty church awaits you." He then wrapped the statue in sheets and packed it carefully to take it with him to Jud and put it on the altar.

The statue remained in Jud from 1689 to 1703. That year the Rakoczy rebellion broke out in Hungary during which churches were mercilessly torn down, altars, saints' paintings and statues crushed. After the statue of Our Lady was robbed and desecrated several times the Franciscans initially took it to Siklos church.

But as Siklos soon became unsafe, they sent it in 1703 to the Franciscan monastery in Osijek for safe-keeping. In the course of unusual circumstances and especially thanks to the love of Mary's devotees, this safe-keeping grew into permanent residence in our city. Siklos Franciscans at first demanded for the statue to return to Jud, of course, but Osijek Franciscans and the citizens of Osijek resisted it.

Moreover, they engaged the city administration and church authorities to intercede for them. Showing concern for the wishes of the congregation, city fathers approached the emperor in Vienna himself. The emperor again asked the bishop of Đakovo, Đuro Patačić of Zajezda, to inform him more closely about the situation. The bishop answered to the emperor on 19 January, 1711: The Franciscans should, by rights, return the statue to Jud, but because of the good effects that the statue has exerted, he would advise otherwise. Yet that was not the definitive verdict, the Roman Curia had the final word. But it was in favour of the Osijek Franciscans, so the statue of Our Lady of Jud/Osijek has remained in the Franciscan church in Osijek to this day.

download music:

GOSPI JUDSKOJ - mp3 - 3,02 mb

SANCTA MARIA ESSECKIENSIS - mp3 - 4,65 mb