1213 – The Battle of Muret

The Battle of Muret is historically remembered as a time when the rosary was employed as a weapon and which was afterwards commemorated by a feast. St. Dominic taught Christians to pray the rosary as a means of warfare against the Albigensian heresy.

A shrine was built at Muret, France, by Simon de Montfort, in gratitude for the victory. The Battle of Muret was fought September 12, 1213.

Pope Pius V (1566 – 1572)instituted an annual feast to “Our Lady of Victory”.

In spite of the victory, it was 200 plus years later before Dominic’s teaching on the rosary were spread through a Dominican named Alan de la Roche. It was Alan de la Roche who spread the knowledge of St. Dominic’s teaching on the rosary which St. Dominic had received from Mother Mary in 1206.

That teaching had fallen into disuse and due to that, after the victory of the Battle of Muret, and after a period of about 100 years, due to neglect of praying the rosary the world underwent chastenings. The Black Plague (1349) was one of those chastenings.

After the chastenings and judgments for not praying, Alan de la Roche spread the knowledge of St. Dominic’s teachings on praying the rosary.