Segítő Szűz Mária templom, Baroque parish church in Bodajk, Hungary.
The Segítő Szűz Mária-templom is a Roman Catholic church and pilgrimage site on Szent István tér in Bodajk, built between 1737 and 1768 for the Capuchins of Mór. Its symmetrical facade centres on a square tower pierced by the entrance, with a pyramidal spire, two niches holding statues of Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, and a 1940 mural above the door. The apse is semicircular and slightly narrower than the nave, and the former monastery adjoins the nave.
A chapel restored in 1697 was donated to the Capuchin monastery of Mór, and growing pilgrim numbers led the Capuchins to build the present church between 1737 and 1768. A landslide in 1750 forced retaining walls against the church and sacristy, and the great bell cracked in 1760 and was recast. The crypt was emptied in 1812 after the Mór earthquake of 15 January 1810 brought down its partition walls.
The annual búcsú (pilgrimage feast) is held on 12 September, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, or the nearest weekend, when thousands of Roman Catholic pilgrims come to Bodajk. The first organised pilgrimage was led in 1699 by P. Sághy Metód with 900 pilgrims, to revive devotion to the Helping Virgin. The feast day (kermesse) follows the same September date.
The church stands on Szent István tér, its square tower facing the street and the entrance passing through the tower. The annual búcsú, the main pilgrimage, falls on 12 September or the nearest weekend, when thousands of Catholics come to Bodajk. The pilgrim courtyard begun in 1942 holds 15,000 people. The interior was restored in 1992 and the area around the high altar in 2013.
The miraculous healings linked to the image drew so many pilgrims that in 1942 work began on a pilgrim courtyard able to hold 15,000 people; it was damaged in the Second World War and later restored. The fair is held on 12 September, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, or the nearest weekend.
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