31st Jul - OUR MOTHER OF THE SLAIN (PORTUGAL)

 Our Mother of the Slain is located at a Cistercian monastery in Ceica, near Lorban, in Portugal. It is piously believed that this image was brought directly from heaven to be 

    given to the Abbot John, who was the uncle of King Afonso I. King Afonso I, the Conqueror was the first King of Portugal. He spent 46 years waging war against the Moors in order 

    to drive the invaders from his land. Before the battle of Ourique, when Afonso was to meet an army of five Moorish kings, 

    he prayed that God would give him the strength to defeat his enemies. In his dream a mysterious old man entered his tent and advised him that it was God’s will that he would be 

    victorious in the coming war against the Moors. Afterward, he was awakened by his guard, who told him there was an old man waiting outside who wished to speak to him. 

    King Afonso bade him enter and was started to see it was the old man from his dream. The old man instructed the king to leave his camp that night, 

    without any attendant at the sound of the Church bell ringing from the old man’s hermitage. It was dark and the night seemed ominous when King Afonso heard the toll of the bell. 

    He took up his sword and shield and mounted his horse to ride alone from the camp. A heavy cloud cover blotted out the light of the moon and stars when suddenly an intense beam 

    of light illuminated the night from the East, and in this resplendent light a Cross appeared bearing the crucified Christ. 

    King Afonso dismounted and prostrated himself before the image of the King of Kings when he heard a voice telling him that he would indeed be victorious. 

    Trusting in God, King Afonso went into battle and won an impressive victory against the five kings. King Afonso went on to win other great battles against the Moors, 

    doubling the size of the kingdom of Portugal.




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