The Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, October 7th, was proclaimed by Pope Saint Pius V (1566-1572) in view of the victory of the Christian forces who faced the Ottoman, Muslim army, which intended to dominate Christian Europe, after having conquered Constantinople and the entire Byzantine empire in 1453. They had just dominated the island of Cyprus in 1571 and were ready for the final assault on Christian Europe.
This was the decisive battle fought in the Sea of Lepanto, in Greece, in the Gulf of Corinth, against the Muslim forces, who, since Muhammad (571-632), wanted to dominate Europe through holy war, Jihad. The maritime dispute took place on October 7, 1571.
The Holy Rosary as the strongest weapon
Europe shook, Christian civilization and the Catholic religion, which cost so much martyrs’ blood, were at risk. Saint Pius V implored the protection of the Virgin Mary on behalf of the Christian people, asking her to remove, once and for all, the danger of threatening Islam.
Christian Europe urgently needed to defend itself against the Islamic danger. Then, Pope Saint Pius V called on the naval forces of Christian countries to defend Europe and the . The Christian squadron, in the minority compared to more than three hundred Muslim caravels, was led by Prince Dom João d’Austria.
The Pope ordered a cardinal to bless the soldiers’ weapons, asking them to carry the holy Rosary as their strongest weapon. It was a war of self-defense for the invaded Europe, after the Turks took Constantinople in 1453, and now threatened to destroy the Christian West, commanded by Sultan Selim, son of Suleiman the Magnificent.
“Long live Maria!”
Saint Pius V sent the Prince a flag, on which the image of the crucified Jesus was embroidered. The soldiers’ preparation consisted of a triduum of prayers and processions, begging God for the grace of victory, as the enemy was not only a threat to the Church, but also to civilization. Having received the Holy Eucharist, they went into battle. On October 7, 1571, invoking the name of Mary, Help of Christians, they fought a tough battle in the waters of Lepanto.
Three hours of combat were necessary… The victory fell to the Christians, who, with the cry of “Viva Maria”, raised the flag of Christ. The Christian forces were a minority, but, miraculously, the Turkish forces were annihilated. The Spanish and Venetian armada defeated the Ottoman Turks, under 24-year-old John of Austria, half-brother of Philip II, king of Spain.
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Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Daniel Rops wrote: “Dom João da Austria stood on the bow of the flagship, with a crucifix in his hand. When night fell over the admirable bay, the smoke from the burning Turkish galleys spread an acrid odor of wood and corpses; the entire enemy squadron had been burned or imprisoned. On board the Marquesa, a wounded soldier – Miguel de Cervantes – sang the Te Deum with his companions… The loss of Constantinople in 1453 seemed avenged” (“The Church of classical times”, Vol. V, pg. 120).
So, the Pope wanted to show his gratitude to and from men, and instituted the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, exactly on the day of victory: October 7th.
In this victory against the Muslims, Pope Saint Pius V had great merits, because he managed to unite the Christian princes under John of Austria. Daniel Rops says that this victory “was the culmination of the immense activity of Saint Pius V, the one in which it seemed that heaven really blessed him”.
Felipe Aquino
Professor Felipe Aquino is a widower, father of five children. On TV , he presents the program “Escola da Fé” and “Pergunte e Responderemos”, on Radio he presents the program “No Coração da Igreja”. On weekends he holds in-depth meetings throughout Brazil and abroad. He wrote 73 books on Catholic formation for publishers Cléofas, Loyola and. Teacher page: and Twitter: