Our Lady of Kophaza (I)

Kophaza is a small, charming town south-east of Sopron, Hungary. The locality is quite well-known, first of all because of its Marian Shrine and secondly because of its fertile fields, its sun-ripened vineyards, its rich meadows and its lush, thick woods, which have acted as a protective shelter for the shrine. Many pilgrims have been to this shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin without asking themselves any questions about its origin that certainly deserves to be better known. In the seventeenth century, thanks to its large woods, Kophaza was the favored hunting grounds of Count Thomas Nadasdy. There was a small chapel hidden in the woods near Kophaza on the road leading to the Lake Fertoe, which was very rich in fish, where a beautiful painting of the Madonna and Child was venerated... Count Nadasdy's daughter was very sick, and her disease was considered incurable according to the most notorious doctors of the time. The small unhealthy child's name was Eleanor, and she was a heavy cross for the family to bear, especially for the Count. In her distress, Eleanor sought pleasure by admiring the beauty of nature and was accustomed to taking walks alone, or accompanied, near the edge of the woods. One day, she decided to venture into the woods alone. Eleanor was a devout girl and she was attracted by the chapel of the Blessed Virgin. The silence of the woods surrounded her. Then she entered the chapel ... What burning love rose in her heart when she saw the painting of the Blessed Virgin holding the Christ Child in her arms! The more she looked at the image, the more fervent her prayers became. Then she cried out, "Blessed Virgin, please cure me, so that I may be happy! Cure me and I will be yours forever! ... At your feet, I vow to remain a virgin forever..." Eleanor was so sure that her prayers would be answered that she left the chapel filled with joy. Happiness filled her entire being and all the world seemed to smile back at her. From that day on she would return regularly to visit the dear Madonna and Child of the woods.