出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/04/18 03:55 UTC 版)
During the Siege of Belgrade (the Hungarian name: Nándorfehérvár. The city was part of Hungary until 1521). In 1456, Hungarian noblemen John Hunyadi (leader of the Hungarian royal army) and Mihály Szilágyi (Captain of the castle of Nándorfehérvár/ Belgrade) defended the city against the onslaught of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. The siege finished with a Christian victory. During the siege, Pope Callixtus III ordered the bells of every church to be rung every day at noon, as a call for believers to pray for the defenders of the city. However, in many countries (like England and Spanish Kingdoms), news of the victory arrived before the order, and the ringing of the church bells at noon thus transformed into a commemoration of the victory. The Pope didn't withdraw the order, and Catholic and the older protestant churches still ring the noon bell to this day.