Our Lady of Victory

 

This is a naval blog and today's the great Feast of Our Lady of Victory, now known as Our Lady of the Rosary, which celebrates the utter defeat of Turkish Sea Jihad at the battle of Lepanto in 1571.

The Ottomans, some two decades fresh from conquering Constantinople, launched across the Mediterranean with the grand aim of conquering Rome itself, the Big Apple. They were smashed by a Christian fleet led by Don John of Austria, the first decisive victory of arms against the Jihad in hundreds of years.

Don John's fleet sailed under the protection of the Virgin Mother of God and miraculously routed the Moslem aggressor. You can read about the action here and as you do, don't forget GKC's Lepanto. Death light of Africa? Love light of Spain.

Poetry in mind, here at the Compound we're about to grill Turkish style kebabs on short swords in homage to the victory. For breakfast? Croissants.

Deus Vult,

LSP

Lepanto, Our Lady of Victories

Listen up, heathen. It's the anniversary of the battle of Lepanto, in which a combined catholic fleet under Don Juan of Austria, on october 7, 1571, took on the Turkish Sea Jihad and killed it. Dead.

The Mohammedans, under Grand Admiral Ali Pasha, had hoped to land an invasion fleet on the coast of Italy and seize Rome, which they curiously called the "Big Apple." But they were routed and victory is accredited to the miraculous intercession of the Blessed  Ever Virgin Mary.

Ali Pasha was killed in the action aboard his ship, the Sultana, which had engaged Don Juan's flagship, the Real. Pasha's severed head was subsequently displayed on the Real on the end of a pike.

Today's TransMed Jihad comes in a different form and the Moslems don't have a navy; neither, of course, do the Europeans. I'll leave it to you to figure out if the threat is any less real.

Salve Regina,

LSP