Why do church bells ring at noon & how is this
connected to St. John of Capistrano (San Juan Capistrano) and Dracula (Vlad the
Impaler)?
The bells ring to celebrate the Christian victory over the
infidel Muslims at Belgrade in 1456 that led to the rise of Vlad III the
Impaler (Dracula) in Transylvania.
From Wikipedia:
The Siege of Belgrade or Battle of Belgrade
occurred from July 4–22, 1456.
After the fall of Christian Constantinople (now Istanbul) in
1453, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II rallied his resources in order to subjugate
the Kingdom of Hungary. His immediate objective was the border fort of the town
of Belgrade. John Hunyadi, the Voivode of Transylvania, who had
fought many battles against the Turks in the previous two decades, prepared the
defenses of the fortress.
The siege eventually escalated into a major battle, during
which Hunyadi and Franciscan Friar Juan Capistrano led a sudden counterattack
that overran the Ottoman camp, ultimately compelling the wounded Ottoman Sultan
Mehmed the Conqueror to lift the siege and retreat. The battle had significant
consequences, as it stabilized the southern frontiers of the Kingdom of Hungary
for more than half a century and thus considerably delayed the Muslim advance
in Europe.
The Pope celebrated the victory as well, as he previously
ordered all Catholic kingdoms to pray for the victory of the defenders of
Belgrade. This led to the noon bell ritual that is still undertaken in Catholic
and old Protestant churches nowadays.
Since 22 July 2011, the date when Christian forces led by
John Hunyadi and John of Capistrano defeated the Ottoman Turks besieging
Belgrade in 1456 has been a national memorial day in Hungary.
Noon Bell Rings For Belgrade
Pope Callixtus III ordered the bells of every European
church to be rung every day at noon, as a call for believers to pray for the
defenders of the city.[9][10] The practice of the noon bell is traditionally
attributed to the international commemoration of the victory at Belgrade and to
the order of Pope Callixtus III, since in many countries (like England and the
Spanish Kingdoms) news of the victory arrived before the order, and the ringing
of the church bells at noon was thus transformed into a commemoration of the
victory.[11][12][13] The Pope didn't withdraw the order, and Catholic and the
older Protestant churches still ring the noon bell to this day. This
custom still exists also among Protestant and Orthodox congregations. In the
history of Oxford university, the victory was welcomed with the ringing of
bells and great celebrations in England. Hunyadi sent a special courier,
Erasmus Fullar, among others to Oxford with the news of the victory.
Follow On History
The victory stopped the Ottoman advance towards Catholic
Europe for 70 years, though they made other incursions such as the taking of
Otranto between 1480 and 1481; and the raid of Croatia and Styria in 1493.
Belgrade would continue to protect Hungary from Ottoman attacks until the fort
fell to the Ottomans in 1521.
With Hunyadi's victory at Belgrade, both Vlad III the
Impaler (AKA: Dracula) and Stephen III of
Moldavia came to power in their own domains, and Hunyadi went himself to great
lengths to have his son Matthias placed on the Hungarian throne.
While fierce resistance and Hunyadi's effective leadership
ensured that the daring and ambitious Sultan Mehmed would only get as far into
Europe as the Balkans, the Sultan had already managed to transform the Ottoman
Empire into what would become one of the most feared powers in Europe (as well
as in Asia) for centuries. Most of Hungary was eventually conquered in 1526 at
the Battle of Mohács. Ottoman Muslim expansion into Europe continued with
menacing success until the Siege of Vienna in 1529, although Ottoman power in
Europe remained strong and still threatening to Central Europe at times until
the Battle of Vienna in 1683.
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