St. Maurice
Saint Maurice (also known as Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius) was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century during the reign of Emperor Maximian Herculius. Maximian sent an army to control an uprising of the Gauls throughout central Europe. One of the units in the army was recruited from Thebes in southern Egypt on the African continent. This legion was comprised of 6600 Christian soldiers. In order to give thanks for the success of their campaign, the soldiers were expected to offer a sacrifice to the gods. Since this included the killing of Christians, the legion of Thebes refused to comply with this order. When Maximian was unable to get the legion to obey, he ordered that they be decimated. Decimation was a military punishment where every tenth man was put to death. Saint Maurice was the legion’s leader and inspirer. When the soldiers still refused the emperor’s demands, a second decimation was ordered. Maximian threatened that if they continued then none of them would escape. Saint Maurice and the other soldiers could not renounce their God and chose to die innocent rather than live knowing they had killed other Christians. Upon hearing news of their continued resistance to obey orders, Maximian proceeded to order the slaughter of the rest of the legion. The place in Switzerland where this occurred, known as Agaunum, is now Saint Maurice-en-Valais, site of the Abbey of Saint Maurice-en-Valais. Besides Aguanum, the other sites where the soldiers were slain were Zurich, Soluthum and Zursach in Switzerland; Bergamo, Turin, Piacenza, the Cottian Alps, Pinerolo, Milan, Ventimilia in Italy; and Terier, Bonn, Cologne, and Xanten in Germany.
Saint Maurice became a patron saint of the Holy Roman Emperors. In 926, Henry I (919–936), even ceded the present Swiss canton of Aargau to the abbey, in return for the sacred lance of the Saint's. The Sword of Saint Maurice was part of the regalia used at coronations of the Austro-Hungarian Emperors until 1916. In 929, Henry I the Fowler held a royal court gathering (Reichsversammlung) at Magdeburg. At the same time the Mauritius Kloster in honor of Saint Maurice was founded. In 961, Otto I was building and enriching the cathedral at Magdeburg, which he intended for his own tomb. In the twenty-fifth year of his reign, in the presence of all of the nobility, the body of St. Maurice was conveyed to him at Regensburg along with the bodies of some of the Saint's companions. These relics were received with great honour at Magdeburg by a gathering of the entire city and of their fellow countrymen.
Saint Maurice is traditionally depicted in full armor, in Italy emblazoned with a red cross. He is often shown as a Moor, especially in the Magdeburg sculpture and other eastern German depictions. In folk culture, he has become connected with the legend of the Spear of Destiny, which he is supposed to have carried into battle. His name is engraved on the Holy Lance of Vienna, one of several relics claimed as the spear that pierced Jesus' side on the cross. Saint Maurice gives his name to the town St. Moritz as well as to numerous places called Saint-Maurice in French speaking countries. For over 500 years, a 24-hour vigil called Coptic Tasbeha has taken place in the monastery of St. Maurice in Switzerland.
Saint Maurice is also the patron saint of a Catholic parish and church in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, and including part of the town of Arabi in the St. Bernard parish. The church was constructed in 1856, making it on of the oldest churches in the area. Unfortunately, the church suffered wind damage and flood damage from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The church steeple was torn off and 5 feet of water entered the building; and the statue of St. Maurice was stolen by looters following the storm.
Although Saint Maurice and his companions faced imminent death, they held on to their beliefs. Over seventy European towns carry the name of Saint Maurice. Churches, statues, classical art masterpieces, and towns all over the world give homage to Saint Maurice and his faithful companions.
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