Marian Devotion, Marian Societies, Marian Processions in Kolozsvár (Cluj) in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Devotional associations and processions played a significant role in the religious life of Kolozsvár (Cluj) in the 18th and 19th centuries and were important manifestations of the cult of the Virgin Mary. This paper discusses some major annual processions, such as those with the weeping icon of Mary, linked to the Jesuits, and the fluctuating evolution of the Marian societies. These expressions of religious life in the city developed in connection with Habsburg policies regarding religious orders, including the suppression of the Society of Jesus and its later restoration in the early 19th century. Locally, Bishop Gusztáv Károly Mailáth and Béla Bíró, dean of St. Michael’s Church, played a major role in the revival of Marian devotion.