17 Facts About Saint Maurice

Saint Maurice is the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms.

Saint Maurice was brought up in the region of Thebes.

Saint Maurice rose through the ranks until he became the commander of the Theban legion, thus leading approximately a thousand men.

Saint Maurice was an acknowledged Christian at a time when early Christianity was considered to be a threat to the Roman Empire.

Saint Maurice stated that service to God superseded all else.

Saint Maurice said that to engage in wanton slaughter was inconceivable to Christian soldiers.

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.

Saint Maurice is traditionally depicted in full armour, in Italy emblazoned with a red cross.

Over 650 religious foundations dedicated to Saint Maurice can be found in France and other European countries.

On 19 July 1941, Pope Pius XII declared Maurice to be the patron saint of the Italian Army's Alpini.

Saint Maurice appeared in an antique episcopal vestment and told Benoite Rencurel that he was the one to whom the nearby chapel was dedicated, that he would fetch her some water, that she should go down to a certain valley to escape the local guard and see the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, and that Mary was both in Heaven and could appear on Earth.

Saint Maurice is the patron saint of weavers and dyers.

In September 2008, certain relics of Saint Maurice were transferred to a new reliquary and rededicated in Schiavi di Abruzzo.

Saint Maurice is the patron saint of the town of Coburg in Bavaria, Germany.

Saint Maurice is shown there as a man of colour especially on manhole covers as well as on the city coat of arms.

The Magdeburg cathedral in the 13th century presumably had other images of Maurice that did not visibly represent him as being an African, though with the exception of a statue from c 1220, none has survived.

Today, the silhouette of Saint Maurice can be found mainly on manhole covers as well as the city coat of arms.