John Hunyadi, the famous Catholic warrior of Hungary, with his knights and a peasant army of 40,000 gathered by Saint John of Capistrano, came to the aid of the beleaguered city of Belgrade on July 14th. On July 22nd, the Turks broke through the walls of the city. The defenders were fleeing in panic, when Saint John of Capistrano rallied them and led them in a counter-attack, crying out the Holy Name: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” The Turks, who still outnumbered the Christians, were completely routed, over 120,000 of them being killed. News of the great victory reached Rome on August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration. In thanksgiving, Pope Calistus III made the Transfiguration a universal feast. This was the second of several great battles throughout history by which the Moslems were kept from overrunning Europe. (Note: Both heroes of the Battle of Belgrade died soon after: Hunyadi, on September 10th, from wounds and battle fatigue; Saint John of Capistrano, on October 23rd, from fever and dysentery. The feast day of the latter was moved to March 28th, upon the canonization of St. Anthony Mary Claret. When Mohammed II heard of the death of John Hunyadi, he grieved for that there was “no longer any prince whom it would be an honor to fight or a pleasure to vanquish.”)
