According to the hagiographical material, Maurice was an Egyptian, born in AD 250 in Thebes, an ancient city in Upper Egypt that was the capital of the New Kingdom of Egypt (1575-1069 BC). In 961, Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, was building and enriching Magdeburg Cathedral, which he intended for his own tomb. Sandstone, 294 cm. So reads the earliest account of their martyrdom, contained in the public letter which Bishop Eucherius of Lyon (c. 434–450), addressed to his fellow bishop, Salvius. [14] The Alpini have celebrated Maurice's feast every year since then. He is also the patron saint of weavers and dyers. Vitalis, Candidus, and Exuperius. Halle, Staatliche Galerie … Several orders of chivalry were established in his honor as well, including the Order of the Golden Fleece, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and the Order of Saint Maurice. As a faithful Christian, Maurice led the Theban Legion in refusing to obey the Emperor’s commands. St. Maurice began being portrayed as a dark-complexioned African in the 12th century. The Indian Ocean island state of Mauritius was named after Maurice, Prince of Orange, and not directly after Maurice himself. [clarification needed (see Talk:Saint Maurice#Coptic and Oriental Orthodoxy)]. The sword and spurs of Saint Maurice were part of the regalia used at coronations of the Austro-Hungarian emperors until 1916, and among the most important insignia of the imperial throne. [1] In 929, Henry the Fowler held a royal court gathering (Reichsversammlung) at Magdeburg. The jet-setters who frequent the Swiss resort town of St. Moritz are no doubt unaware that it was named after the first black person to be documented as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the massacre of the legion. When the new cathedral was built under Archbishop Albert II of Käfernberg (served 1205-32), a relic said to be the head of Maurice was procured from the Holy Land. The Black St. Maurice (the Knight of the Holy Lance) is regarded as one the great patron saints of the Holy Roman Empire and is one of my favorite personalities in the long history of the African diaspora in Europe. 32, No. According to legend Saint Maurice … The Story Of Saint Maurice, A Black Martyr. 250-ca. [5], Denis Van Berchem, of the University of Geneva, proposed that Eucherius' presentation of the legend of the Theban legion was a literary production, not based on a local tradition. He is also known, especially in Germany, as Saint Mauritius. The sculpted features of Maurice’s face and the coloring unambiguously identify him as a black man, but this is no demeaning … Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. "The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice" by El Greco. Cranach created this painting of Saint Maurice between … Whatever the reason, the change marked the first artistic depiction of a black African in Medieval Europe. c. 1500". Ordering the unit to be punished, Maximian had every tenth soldier killed, a military punishment known as decimation. Why an unknown artist purposely changed the racial identity of Maurice is unknown. This thirteenth-century black Maurice is a saint and a knight —the most esteemed exemplars of the human in Latin Christian Europe and the perfect marriage of Christian faith and warrior chivalry, seamlessly meshing secular and sacred prowess. St. Maurice is commemorated throughout churches in modern Germany as a black African dressed as a Roman Solider. Foundation, 1987); Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and David Bindman (editors), Saint Maurice, (allegedly died c. 286), was a christian soldier whose alleged martyrdom, with his comrades, inspired a cult still practiced today. Manresa (Spain), Piedmont (Italy), Montalbano Jonico (Italy), Schiavi di Abruzzo (Italy), Stadtsulza (Germany) and Coburg (Germany) have chosen St. Maurice as their patron saint as well. Du... Germany (1480) Anonymous German artist - Saint Maurice. 1320) of Saint Maurice on horseback on Église Saint-Maurice in Soultz-Haut-Rhin, France. In folk culture he has become connected with the legend of the Holy Lance, 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. Egyptian saint and leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion, This article is about a Roman Legion leader. A black European Saint: The martyrdom of St Maurice in a Missal of Bilzen Anoniem, De Heilige Mauritius, ca 1510, Missaal Liturgique de Bilzen, Koninklijke Bibliotheek Brussel The majority of verses and homilies in this missal were written in honour of Saint Maurice and his Theban martyrs. The earliest written accounts of this incident appeared nearly 150 years later, by which time the Church had declared Maurice a saint for his defiance of the Emperor’s orders. Dorothy Gillerman, reviewing Suckale-Redlefsen 1988 in, Talk:Saint Maurice#Coptic and Oriental Orthodoxy, "St. Maurice in the Lower 9th to host installation, and worshipers have a place", "Archdiocese of New Orleans will sell or lease 13 empty properties, including 7 churches", "9th Ward Improv Opera marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina", Esercito Italiano: I Patroni delle Armi Corpi e Specialità - Gli Alpini, "Reading the painterly text: Clarence Major's 'The Slave Trade: View from the Middle Passage", "Lucas Cranach the Elder and Workshop - Saint Maurice - The Metropolitan Museum of Art", On the image of the Blackamoor in European Heraldry, David Wood, "The Origin of the Cult of St. Maurice", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Maurice&oldid=1006357349, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, banner; soldier; soldier being executed with other soldiers, knight; sub-saharan African in full armour, bearing a standard and a palm; knight in armour with a red cross on his breast, which is the badge of the, This page was last edited on 12 February 2021, at 13:07. At the same time the Mauritius Kloster in honor of Maurice was founded. Is this related to the familiarity that started developing between the Latins and the … In Switzerland alone, seven churches or altars in Aargau, six in the Canton of Lucerne, four in the Canton of Solothurn, and one in Appenzell Innerrhoden can be found (in fact, his feast day is a cantonal holiday in Appenzell Innerrhoden). In 926, Henry the Fowler (919–936), even ceded the present Swiss canton of Aargau to the abbey, in return for Maurice's lance, sword and spurs. University Press, 2010). 18th century Baroque sculpture of Saint Maurice on the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, which was a part of the Austrian Empire in that time, now the Czech Republic. The legend, by Eucherius of Lyon, is classed by Bollandist Hippolyte Delehaye among the historical romances. Awesome book arrival yesterday. [21] The oldest surviving image that depicts Saint Maurice as a black African in knight's armor[22] was sculpted in mid-13th century for Magdeburg Cathedral; there it is displayed next to the grave of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Among those martyred with him were SS. The Black Saint Maurice (the Knight of the Holy Lance) is regarded as the great patron saint of the Holy Roman Germanic Empire. Gude Suckale-Redlesfen, The Black Saint Maurice (Houston: Menil Why is Saint Maurice is the patron of Infantrymen? The church was subsequently deconsecrated in 2008, and the local diocese put it up for sale in 2011. When they continued to refuse the Emperor’s order, the remaining soldiers were again divided by ten with every tenth man selected for execution. 174.115.100.93 19:33, 4 October 2019 (UTC) Saint Maurice is represented as a "black man" only in the German tradition. The earliest version of the Maurice story, and the account upon which all later versions are based, is found in the writings of Eucherius, Bishop of Lyons ( ca .450). The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II, Part 1, From the St Maurice, black patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire. Vol. Tempera on wood. So, maybe it could be changed to something like "Representations of Maurice's Race" or "Portrayals of Maurice as a Black African man". Gothic relief (ca. In response the Emperor punished the rebellious soldiers by dividing them into groups of ten and selecting one soldier from each group to be killed. He stated that service to God superseded all else. The Theban Legion of St. Maurice. Two in fact! The renowned figure of the black African St Maurice from the statue in Cathedral of St Catherine and St Maurice in Magdeburg and commemorated in the name exclusive Swiss ski resort of St Moritz, was perhaps not black and probably never existed. [18], Maurice is the patron saint of the Duchy of Savoy (France) and of the Valais (Switzerland) as well as of soldiers, swordsmiths, armies, and infantrymen. An important artist of the German Renaissance, he was surpassed in his painting skills only by Albrecht Dürer. Vitalis, Candidus, and Exuperius. Unlike the fi ctitious Prester John, another medieval icon who conjoined military … 310 AD) to march to Agaunum, now the modern day St-Maurice en Valais in Switzerland. "The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice" by Romulo Cincinato. The depiction of St Maurice signifies a new approach to the concept of blackness in medieval imagery. Anonymous Saint Maurice and a Benedictine Pope Germany/Bohemia (1420) Altarpiece Fragment, carved and painted wing The Image of the Black in Western Art Research Project and Photo Archive, W.E.B. He is the patron saint of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard. Demonic Threat to the Incarnation of Sainthood (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Much of what we know about Saint Maurice is shrouded in myth. He is also a revered saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and other churches of Oriental Orthodoxy. The place in Switzerland where this occurred, known as Agaunum, is now Saint-Maurice, Switzerland, site of the Abbey of St. Maurice. A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. 287) Statue of St. Maurice, Magdeburg Cathedral of St. Maurice and St. Catherine, ca. His Feast Day is 22 September. Saint Maurice, (died c. 286, Agaunum, near Geneva; feast day September 22), Christian soldier whose alleged martyrdom, with his comrades, inspired a cult still practiced today. For other uses, see. He was gradually promoted until he became the commander of the Theban legion, thus leading approximately a thousand men. Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲙⲱⲣⲓⲥ) was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century, and one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that group. The Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria does not mention Saint Maurice, although there are several Coptic churches named for him. Jean Devisse, The Image of the Black in Western Art, laid out the documentary sources for the saint… Saint Maurice became a patron saint of the German Holy Roman Emperors. Much of what we know about Saint Maurice is shrouded in myth. Alternative versions[citation needed] have the legion refusing Maximian's orders only after discovering innocent Christians had inhabited a town they had just destroyed, or that the emperor had them executed when they refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. However, according to some historical authorities, he was probably not black and possibly never existed. [11][12] By 2014, a local attorney had purchased the property for a local arts organization, after which the building served as both an arts venue and the worship space for a Baptist church that had been displaced following the hurricane.[11][13]. He and his fellow legionnaires refused to sacrifice to the gods as ordered by the Emperor to insure victory over rebelling Bagaudae. Vigiliae Christianae. The sword and spurs of Saint Maurice were part of the regalia used at coronations of the Austro-Hungarianemperors until 1916, and among the most important insignia of the imperial throne. Some have speculated that because he and his men were from Thebes in Upper Egypt and near Nubia, they were considered “Ethiopians” which in the Medieval European world was a generic description of all dark skinned people on the African continent. [10], Maurice was also the patron saint of a Catholic parish and church in the 9th Ward of New Orleans and including part of the town of Arabi in St. Bernard Parish. The legion, entirely composed of Christians, had been called from Thebes in Egypt to Gaul to assist Emperor Maximian in defeating a revolt by the bagaudae. Maurice later became the patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire and an altar dedicated to his memory was placed in the Vatican. They were supposed to stop an uprising against Rome! Maurice is traditionally depicted in full armor, in Italy emblazoned with a red cross. The oldest surviving [16] image that depicts Saint Maurice as a Black African in knight's armour [16] was sculpted in mid 13th century for the Cathedral of Magdeburg; there it is displayed next to the grave of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries, Glasgow, UK. "Once again, as in the early Middle Ages, the color black had become associated with spiritual darkness and cultural 'otherness'". Buy Mauritius: der heilige Mohr = The Black Saint Maurice (German and English Edition) by (ISBN: 9783795402402) from Amazon's Book Store. Jean Devisse, The Image of the Black in Western Art, laid out the documentary sources for the saint’s popularity and documented it with illustrative examples. 1240-1250. Buy The Black Saint Maurice by Suckale-Redlefsen, Gude (ISBN: 9780939594160) from Amazon's Book Store. Although many historical authorities claim the entire episode is a pure fabrication of Medieval Christian Church leaders, the image of a Christian solider refusing to denounce his faith and defying a pagan Emperor resonated with Medieval Christians. 1240-1250. Gude Suckale-Redlefsen’s Mauritius Der heilige Mohr / The Black Saint Maurice is the one I’m talking about here.. St. Maurice is commemorated throughout churches in modern Germany as a black African dressed as a Roman Solider. This study examines the connections between the black St Maurice of Magdeburg and the Christian kingdoms in Nubia and Ethiopia. We do know the approximate dates he became a saint and when he first became … Saint Maurice was an important Black saint during the Renaissance, especially as the patron of the Holy Roman Empire Saint Maurice became a patron saint of the German Holy Roman Emperors. St Maurice is also the patron saint of the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a historical military order of unmarried merchants in present-day Estonia and Latvia. Among those martyred with him were SS. In 287 AD, a Theban Legion of Christian Roman soldiers in Egypt led by Maurice was commanded by Emperor Maximian Hereculeus (ca. Maurice bears the Standard of the Holy Roman Empire Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472 - 1553) was a court painter to the Saxon Elector Friedrich II, the Wise. [15][16][17], The Our Lady of Laus apparitions included an apparition of Saint Maurice. He was brought up in the region of Thebes (Luxor). 13th Century Statue of Saint Maurice from the Magdeburg Cathedral that bears his name. Maurice was the leader of the Egyptian Legion in Thebes, and he and his men were responsible for doing one thing. More orders followed, the men refused compliance as encouraged by Maurice, and a second decimation was ordered. [20] In September 2008, certain relics of Maurice were transferred to a new reliquary and rededicated in Schiavi di Abruzzo (Italy). However, when Maximian ordered them to harass some local Christians, they refused. Saint Maurice and his six thousand African soldiers were ordered to put down a rebellion against the empire. Do you find this information helpful? 250-ca. We cannot be sure that Maurice was actually of African origin but Maurice is derived from the name “Moor” and he was the leader of the Roman “Theban” Legion. There is an oil on wood painting of Maurice by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553) in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.[27]. Images of the saint died out in the mid-sixteenth century, undermined, Suckale-Redlefsen suggests, by the developing Atlantic slave trade. Egypt, under the control of the Roman Empire, was struggling to keep its grip on power. “The oldest surviving” image that depicts Saint Maurice as a Black African in knight’s armour was sculpted in mid 13th century for the Cathedral of Magdeburg; there it is displayed next to the grave of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. He said that to engage in wanton slaughter was inconceivable to Christian soldiers. That depiction originated with the renowned statue in the Cathedral of St. Catherine and St. Maurice in Magdeburg, Germany. How Saint Maurice is represented in Christian Art It is helpful to be able to recognise Saint Maurice in paintings, stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, architecture and other forms of Christian art. That depiction originated with the renowned statue in the Cathedral of St. Catherine and St. Maurice … St. Maurice as depicted on the City of Coburg's Coat of Arms. The image of Saint Maurice has been examined in detail by Gude Suckale-Redlefsen,[25] who demonstrated that this image of Maurice has existed since Maurice's first depiction in Germany between the Weser and the Elbe, and spread to Bohemia, where it became associated with the imperial ambitions of the House of Luxembourg. Exactly what Maurice’s Legion was ordered to do there by the Emperor is disputed:  they were either required to participate in pagan rites or to harass and kill local Christians. [4] Donald F. O'Reilly, in Lost Legion Rediscovered, argues that evidence from coins, papyrus, and Roman army lists support the story of the Theban Legion. present day Estonia and Latvia), set in the broader context of the Baltic Sea region. Images @ 1979 Menil Foundation, Houston, Texas. As well as invaders, Africans featured as heros and even saints in Medieval Europe. [26] Donald F. O'Reilly. The Black St. Maurice (the Knight of the Holy Lance) is regarded as one the great patron saints of the Holy Roman Empire and is one of my favorite personalities in the long history of the African diaspora in Europe. On 19 July 1941, Pope Pius XII declared Saint Maurice to be patron Saint of the Italian Army's Alpini (mountain infantry corps). Statue of St. Maurice, Magdeburg Cathedral of St. Maurice and St. Catherine, ca. He appeared in an antique episcopal vestment and told Benoîte Rencurel that he was the one to whom the nearby chapel was dedicated, that he would fetch her some water (before drawing some water out of a well she had not seen), that she should go down to a certain valley to escape the local guard and see Mary, mother of Jesus, and that Mary was both in Heaven and could appear on Earth. These images show Saint Maurice. To them Maurice’s sainthood was well deserved and the Church correctly venerated him. Over 650 religious foundations dedicated to Saint Maurice can be found in France and other European countries. Maurice pledged his men’s military allegiance to Rome. When they refused to obey repeated orders to do so and … [1] Particularly notable among these are the Church and Abbey of Saint-Maurice-en-Valais, the Church of Saint Moritz in the Engadin, and the Monastery Chapel of Einsiedeln Abbey, where his name continues to be greatly revered. Much of what we know about Saint Maurice is … Before going into battle, they were instructed to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods and pay homage to the emperor. Saint Maurice gives his name to the town St. Moritz as well as to numerous places called Saint-Maurice in French speaking countries. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Thebes being one of the Principle Cities in ancint … 1580-82. During the first millennium, the first black men who existed were exceptional. According to Suckale-Redlefsen, the image of Maurice reached its apogee during the years 1490 to 1530. Until the mid-thirteenth century St. Maurice was depicted as a white Roman solider in full battle dress. The name Maurice is derived from Latin and means "like a Moor." [1] Additionally, fifty-two towns and villages in France have been named in his honor. The church was constructed in 1856, but was devastated by the winds and flood waters of Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005; the copper-plated steeple was blown off the building. In churches in modern Germany the image of the black St. Maurice endures while in churches in Switzerland, France, and Italy he continues to be depicted as white. In response to the Theban Christians' refusal to attack fellow Christians, Maximian ordered all the remaining members of his legion to be executed. "Portrait of Francis de Chateaubriand Presented by St. Maurice. Maurice was an officer of the Theban Legion of Emperor Maximian Herculius' army, which was composed of Christians from Upper Egypt. [2] The Theban Legion was dispatched with orders to clear the Great St Bernard Pass across the Alps. Jean Hey. They are still venerated there, to the salvation of the homeland.[9]. [6] The monastic accounts themselves do not specifically state that all the soldiers were collectively executed; the twelfth century bishop Otto of Freising wrote in his Chronica de duabus civitatibus[7] that many of the legionaries escaped and only some were executed at Agaunum, though the others were later apprehended and put to death at Galliae Bonna and Colonia Aggripina.[8]. The Black St. Maurice (the Knight of the Holy Lance) is regarded as one the great patron saints of the Holy Roman Empire and is one of my favorite personalities in the long history of the African diaspora in Europe. Yet, he moved easily within the pagan society of his day. When the new cathedral w… St Maurice, Knight Commander of the Roman Theban Legion, was martyred with his whole legion of 6,600 for refusing to attack Christians and became, later, the black patron saint of knighthood, chivalry and the Holy Roman Empire. Oil on canvas, 540 x 288 cm, Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, Spain. Images @ 1979 Menil Foundation, Houston, Texas, African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African Americans and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Alma Stephenson Dever Page on Afro-britons, With Pride: Uplifting LGBTQ History On Blackpast, Preserving Martin Luther King County’s African American History, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, African American Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals. In 926, Henry the Fowler (919–936), even ceded the present Swiss canton of Aargau to the abbey, in return for Maurice's lance, sword and spurs. A commander of the Roman legion, Maurice was martyred near Agaunum (in present-day Switzerland) in A.D. 280 or 300 for refusing to slaughter Christians. What is known is the date he became a saint and when he first became depicted as black. In 1591 Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy arranged the triumphant return of part of the relics of Saint Maurice from the monastery of Agaune in Valais.[19]. When the soldiers continued their defiance of the Emperor’s orders, he, frustrated at their ongoing resistance, had the entire Legion killed. Saint Maurice: martyr, black saint, Knight Commander of the Theban Legion and Patron Saint of the Holy Roman Empire Saint Maurice (Moritz or Mauritius), pictured here with St Elmo, was the Knight Commander of the famous Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century. Maurice became a soldier in the Roman army. Jean Devisse, The Image of the Black in Western Art, laid out the documentary sources for the saint's popularity and documented it with illustrative examples.[23][24]. BlackPast.org is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. He and his men refused to worship Roman deities.[3]. He is the patron saint of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard. Black Soldier – Patron Saint: St Maurice and the Livonian Merchants Anu Mänd Abstract This article discusses the cult and visual representation of St Maurice in late medieval Livo- nia (i.e. The coat of arms of the Brotherhood of Blackheads, featuring Saint Maurice. Of them all, none was compared to Saint Maurice, a black saint in … St. Maurice (ca. 1583. St. Maurice dressed as a knight This statue of St. Maurice in Magdeburg Cathedral dates from around 1240 and was probably made by the anonymous sculptor of the well-known Magdeburg Rider. There is a difference of opinion among researchers as to whether or not the story of the Theban Legion is based on historical fact, and if so, to what extent. In addition, some of the emperors were anointed before the Altar of Saint Maurice at St. Peter's Basilica. Having been sent to Magdeburg, these relics were received with great honour by a gathering of the entire populace of the city and of their fellow countrymen. He was an acknowledged Christian at a time when early Christianity was considered to be a threat to the Roman Empire. Following the refurbishment of Magdeburg’s Cathedral in 1240-1250 after it was damaged by fire, he was portrayed as a black African. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms. 3, Sep., 1978. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone! The black St. Maurice iconography spread across German states but not across all of Europe. He was from North Africa, and in the thirteenth century in Germany he began to be shown as Black, influenced by the reign of the Emperor Friedrich II (1194–1250). All donations are tax deductible. To that end, in the year 961 of the Incarnation and in the 25th year of his reign, in the presence of all of the nobility, on the vigil of Christmas, the body of St. Maurice was conveyed to him at Regensburg along with the bodies of some of the saint's companions and portions of other saints. Cincinnato placed stronger emphasis on the execution scene, which has been brought into the foreground. The Black St Maurice (the Knight of the Holy Lance) is regarded as the greatest patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire. Ever since I discovered The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume II, Part 1, and that the deservedly famous cover image was of the 13th century Saint Maurice … One of the most imposing sculptural monuments to the great black warrior-saint Maurice is found, not surprisingly, at the chief place of his veneration. I…
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