St. Maurice refuses to worship Roman gods and was slain

France honours this valiant saint in naming of buildings, children

St Maurice – September 22

- WCR photo by Ted Fitzgerald Statue of St. Maurice above an altar dedicated to 1793-1794 martyrs "POUR LA FOL."

By TED FITZGERALD
Special to the WCR
Angers, France

Roman Emperor Maximian launched a campaign in about 287AD to suppress a rebellion by Christians in Gaul. On the eve of a major offensive at Agaunum in present-day Switzerland, the men of his Theban Legion - several thousand strong Christian foot soldiers from Egypt - refused to sacrifice to Roman gods to invoke victory.

As punishment for their mutinous behaviour, the legion was ordered decimated, that is, every 10th soldier would be killed. The survivors still persisted and were decimated again, following which their leader Maurice and his remaining companions gladly accepted death, weapons in hand, rather than deny their faith.

Historians have doubts regarding the numbers of soldiers slain that day, but the event was confirmed with the building on the site of a monastery at Saint-Maurice-en-Valais dedicated to the Martyrs of Agaunum.

Maurice has many churches honouring him and his name has for centuries been a popular one as a given name for boys.

Saint of toothaches

In France, his saintly intervention is sought by those suffering from toothache and rheumatism.

One of the more impressive monuments to Maurice and his companions is found in the bulk of the great cathedral of the French Angevin city of Angers. Its three soaring towers dominate the old central district, dwarfing even the city's famed chateau.

- WCR photo by Ted Fitzgerald Angers Cathedral, home of a 13th Century stained glasswork of St. Julian is under restoration.

Since early Roman times, Angers has been the capital of the district of Anjou. It prospered during the reign of Henry Plantagenet who, although he resided mainly in the Angers area, ruled the large combined Anglo-Angevin Empire as English King Henry II.

Haunting vistas

From its elevated setting, visitors to Cathedrale Saint Maurice enjoy a panoramic vista from the west front down the broad steps of the Montee Saint-Maurice to the attractive fountain in the Promenade du Pont Ligny gardens. Beyond the broad, tranquil Riviere La Maine with its moored tour boats, the west bank city suburbs and churches extend for many kilometres.

The cathedral and its fa‡ade have undergone many modifications over the centuries, including recent restorative work on the stonework of the front and the two 12th century towers which left the fa‡ade shrouded in scaffolding. The square bases are topped by slender, 15th century ornamented steeples. A central, later tower features at its base, statues of some of the companions of St. Maurice beneath an inscribed prayer for peace.

Plantagenet vaulting

Inside, the nave of the church is noted for its Angevin or Plantagenet vaulting, a transitional form between Romanesque and Gothic styles, built in 1149 and named for Henry, Plantagenet Count of Anjou.

The future English king is also remembered in a negative way in one of the magnificent stained glass windows in the chancel where the 1170 martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral by order of Henry is portrayed.

Many of the 89 bishops of the Angers Diocese are interred in their cathedral as are the last of the Angevin dukes.

A statue of Legionnaire Maurice dominates his chapel in the south transept above an altar displaying a bas-relief "POUR LA FOI" (for the faith) dedicated in 1985 to some 2,000 Catholics who were martyred in 1793-94 during the "Terror" in the Angers region, some being guillotined near the cathedral in Place du Ralliement.

Maurice is also remembered in his cathedral with stained glass windows in the nave and transepts and in one of the priceless tapestries that the building is noted for.

Today, Angers, with a metropolitan population exceeding 200,000, is noted for its university and its historic and lively old quarter.

The cathedral parish includes nearby Notre-Dame des Victoires Church. Between them, five Masses are celebrated daily and six on weekends.

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