In 1571 Pope St Pius V instituted "Our Lady of Victory" as an annual feast to commemorate the victory of the Christians against the Turks in Lepanto. The victory was attributed to Our Lady, as a rosary procession was offered on that day in St. Peter's Square in Rome for the success of the mission of the Holy League to hold back Muslim forces from overrunning Western Europe. In 1565, the Turks had already tried to take over Malta in the Great Siege, but the Maltese people, with the help of the Knights of Malta, were able to defend the island from the attack of the Ottoman Empire. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast day to "Feast of the Holy Rosary". This feast was extended by Pope Clement XII to the whole of the Latin rite, inserting it into the Roman calendar of saints in 1716, and assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Pope St Pius X changed the date to October 7th in 1913. In 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to "Our Lady of the Rosary". A monumental display of the Rosary was erected a few years ago in front of the apparition church of Ta’ Pinu in Għarb, Gozo, Malta with the 20 mysteries displayed in beautiful mosaic. So also in Lourdes, in the lower chapel of the Rosary there are 15 monumental mosaics with the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. Outside, the Luminous mysteries were added a few years ago, although it is uncertain if they will be covered or kept visible as they still are.
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