In the chapel of the old monastery church there was an ancient painting, which had already fallen, because 800 years had left traces. There was a picture of a young man with his eyes fixed on the sky. In the old monastery chronicle, he was described a sad story that explains the painting.
Christmas and the feast of the Nativity of the Child of God were approaching... In a women's monastery in the mountains, the nuns were preparing for Christmas. An elderly priest came to them from a distant town to celebrate mass and confess to the nuns. There were only 10 of them, one of whom was already lying sick in bed and two were old about sticks. In those days, the monastery had to be self-sufficient with food and heating. The nuns raised a farm, chickens, and people from the settlements came to help them. The feast of the Nativity of the Lord was approaching, and the nuns were waiting for their priest, who was to come to serve St. . mass and the nuns to confess. But he didn't go... they waited and nothing. It was bitterly cold, the roads were blown with snow and robbers often ambushed passengers.
what would you do in a monastery without a priest, St. mass at Christmas, it would be a sad holiday.
The driver John was very clever, hardworking and religious, but a very poor young man. He was an orphan and struggled as a boy after services, until finally he was accepted to serve in the monastery. All the nuns from the monastery liked him and always prepared some food or clothes for him Abbess Elisabeth had a small wooden house built for him at the monastery's expense so that he would be close to the monastery. John took care of the horses and the farm and helped with all the work. the men's monastery to find out what happened to the priest who was supposed to come to their monastery for Christmas. She heard sad news, the priest had become very ill and was lying in the monastery with a fever, and they had no one else to send there. So the mother superior went directly to the bishop. She told him everything , but the bishop didn't please her either... I don't have any priest now, those who were here,they had to go to the royal army and the soldiers, because the enemy attacked the eastern borders of the kingdom.
The abbess lamented what we would do without St. mass and the Sacrament of the Altar during Christmas... The bishop wanted to please her somehow and then said... I will consecrate the guests-the Sacrament of the Altar through st. the mass I will celebrate and you will take these transformed, consecrated hosts to the nuns... I will give you the authority to distribute them to your nuns yourself, so that at least this way you can have Christmas and receive the Lord... Abbess Elisabeth had no choice, so she agreed. The bishop served St. mass and transformed the guests, which he then put in a sacred box and gave to the abbess. But they could not go on the return journey until the morning of December 24, on the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord - Christmas Eve - the holiday of the first grandparents Adam and Eve.
So the abbess got into the carriage with the precious box containing the Holy Altar and with Janko as the driver, they set off from the city. It snowed again and the roads were covered with new snow, drifts were blowing somewhere. So they couldn't go so fast. They were passing through dangerous mountainous terrain. it became clear and the stars were shining. The nuns in the monastery were impatiently waiting for their matron, but she did not come... so they were afraid that something had happened. They knelt by the candles near the monastery chapel and prayed... The horses and the carriage raced along the snowy roads. The driver Janko whipped them with his whip to make them go faster. It was getting dark and the road was becoming more and more dangerous, bandits were a threat, but so were wild animals. Abbess Elisabeth was sitting in the carriage, she had a box of guests pressed against her and was praying with...to return happily. The moon rose and illuminated the snowy mountain landscape with a dull, dull light.
Suddenly, the howling of wolves was heard from the mountains. Driver John heard it and drove his horses faster. The abbess also heard it and blessed herself... In the moonlight, dark points appeared from the forest, which were rapidly approaching the coach. They were packs of hungry wolves, who sensed their approaching prey. John bucked the horses as hard as he could and the carriage flew so fast that it almost overturned. Abbess Elisabeth was tossed from side to side in the carriage, she was terribly frightened and cried out to God for help... and prayed. ..
About 50 wild, starving wolves caught up to the running horses, jumped to the horses' legs and bit into them. The horses were frightened and galloped away from the jumping wolves. One wolf jumped on the door of the carriage up to the feet of the frightened abbess, but fell out. The driver John called to the abbess...I have to give them one horse, otherwise they will eat us...John was looking at the horse's straps while galloping with a knife, and so the horse relaxed and galloped away on its own, and next to him were wild, hungry wolves that jumped on the horse and bit into it .Elisabeth cursed at the horror, the horse neighed and hiccupped in horror, but the wolves threw it down and a pack of hungry wolves rushed at the lying horse, eating it alive and tearing the horse's flesh, and the blood splashed all over the white snow.
Oh my God, cried the horrified abbess... if you want, take my life, just so the wolves don't tear the box with the guests and eat them and both of us... They were free from the wolves for a while and so John drove only one horse through the mountain valley between the mountains .The moonlight and the illuminated landscape gave hope that they would escape the wolves. John whipped the horse as hard as he could, it was a life and death journey... But the ominous howling of the wolves was heard again. Another wild pack appeared and like countless black dots they rushed and were approaching the speeding carriage.
Elisabeth saw a new horror. She was being overtaken by darkness, the carriage was flying and she was being tossed up and down, she was just pressing the box with the guests to her. The wolves had already caught up with the horse and started attacking. John was driving them away with a whip, but he knew that if they ate their only horse... he and the mother superior end up in the teeth of wild wolves...John pulled the board from the carriage and called to the abbess...get over here quickly...Elisabeth understood...quickly...she put her clothes, a warm fur coat and she climbed onto John's seat...
Dear mother, you will drive the horse with a whip and then you will reach the monastery, it is not far... I am provided for, I was in the city for confession and Holy Communion, my conscience is clear... just remember me and pray for please my soul...Elisabeth's eyes burst into tears...yes, I promise we will remember you Johny and she blessed him for the last time...Goodbye...dear mother...and John jumped from the carriage down among the wolves...ran away as he reigned...but all the wolves ran and pounced on John...threw him to the ground and tore his clothes and bit his body. Elisabeth only saw blood splattering and tearing wolves...
There was a cry... Jesus, accept my soul... and there was a terrible silence, only the howling and roaring of wolves. She drove the horse as hard as she could with the whip... the horse was frightened and ran as fast as it could... Elisabeth was all standing hair on head from terror. She finally saw the walls of the monastery... she arrived with the carriage at the gate, jumped down and quickly opened the gate and led the horse and carriage into the yard and closed the gate.
The nuns heard some noises and ran outside to look... their mother superior Elisabeth was standing in front of them, pale as a wall... they thought it was a ghost... so they surrounded her and led her inside to warm up, because she was all she was shivering from cold and fear... She pulled out a small box with guests from her fur coat and they took the precious treasure to the chapel... The frightened nuns suspected misfortune... with fear they timidly asked and Johny? The abbess said with difficulty... Johzny is already in heaven...He sacrificed himself for me and the consecrated hosts for you...
And so she had the abbess paint a picture in the monastery chapel... of the pious young man Janko, looking up at the heavens and being torn and eaten by wolves from below....And then in the summer, the mother superior had a stone cross erected at the place in the mountains where Janko was torn apart by wolves in memory of his sacrifice. Wild flowers grew around the cross - red poppies, until the whole meadow turned red, and so are the people and pilgrims who they were passing by, telling that it was like the blood of the martyr John...
