Myths and legends - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2000 - 22 Shilling

On the northern edge of the Styrian capital Graz rises on a 469 m high hill, the mighty, built in the early 18th century pilgrimage and parish church Mariatrost. It is after Mariazell the most important Marian shrine in Styria. At the rise of the 1770 created pulpit of the church of the Witch Ride of Mariatrost is shown. The depiction shows a big flying cat on which a witch rides. She throws a handkerchief to a praying man who holds his iron-soled shoes up to a shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary. The background to this votive picture is a legend, according to which a soldier who had traveled the lengthy journey from Hungary here to ask the Blessed Mother to release him from a wicked curse: a Gypsy who invited him to dance he refused the dance by arguing that he was sorry for his shoes. The woman had threatened him full of anger because he would not have any shoes in the future. At the same time she had stolen his handkerchief to him to conjure the curse. And indeed, from now on, no shoe lasted longer than two days. In desperation, he had now pilgrimage to Mariatrost to pray here. There the gypsy woman in the shape of a witch rode up on a big cat and gave back the handkerchief to the soldier and henceforth he was freed from the magic of constantly worn shoes.