Stop point -Pusztacsatár
The name Pusztacsatár refers to the Árpád era village of Csatár and the occupation of its inhabitants (csatár = shield maker). Csatár was depopulated during the Turkish occupation, but its chapel, dedicated to the Assumption, was still regularly visited by the local faithful. As early as the 1600s it was considered a place of pilgrimage. Miraculous apparitions were associated with the place and miraculous healings with the waters of the spring, and its fame spread. The small church, which had fallen into ruins, was restored and rebuilt in 1736. Even after the Baroque reconstruction, many of the earlier architectural and decorative elements of the building were preserved. The church of Pusztacsatár belongs to the parish of Zalaháshágy.
Pusztacsatár has his own farewell song:
"Mary, the border blesses you,
Thy old outpost, Pusztacsatár.
We lift up our hearts in trust,
O Virgin Mother, protect your people!"
Pusztacsatár is a stop on the Via Sancti Martini from Szombathely to Tours in France. The pilgrimage route commemorates the great saint of European Christianity, Saint Martin, born in 316 or 317 in Savaria, now Szombathely. Martin passed through this landscape on his way from his hometown to Italy and from there to Gaul. As a soldier, he shared his cloak with a beggar at the gates of Amiens to set an example of compassion for the poor and the fallen. After leaving the military, he set out on a missionary journey, organised Christian communities and founded a monastery. On his return to Savaria, he baptised his mother. In 371 he was elected bishop of Tours. He was highly respected for his modesty, his directness and the miracles he performed. He died in 397.
- Pusztacsatár
