Happy name day to Python!
Today is the Feast Day of Saint Maurice and Companions.
Maurice was an officer of the Theban Legion. There are two things that set this legion apart from other Roman legions of the time. First, the high number of legionnaires, and second it was made up exclusively of Christians. It was called the Theban Legion (Alkateeba al Teebia) because the men were Egyptian Christian Copts recruited from and stationed in Thebes in Upper Egypt. The leaders of the Theban Legion were Mauritius (St Maurice or St Moritz), Candidus and Exupernis (Exuperantius).
The Thebean legion was one of those which were sent by Dioclesian (who was co-ruler with Maximian) out of the East to compose his army for his expedition into Gaul. The Theban Legion reached Maximian’s army in Gaul to engage the Bagaude by way of the St Bernard’s Pass in the Alps. Here in AD 286 Maximian, fearing religious dissent, organized a universal sacrifice, in which the whole army was required to participate and swear an oath of allegiance, as well as promise to assist in the extermination of Christianity from Gaul. Maximian was uncompromising: he organized the un-Roman rite of adoratio (proskynesis in Greek), which was the Persian rite of worship to the Shah-I-Shah as a living god, translated over to the Roman emperor. Worshippers were obliged to prostrate themselves before the emperor three times, ironically and poignantly for the Christians, as it was just as Satan had asked of Jesus
Maurice and his fellow legionnaires refused to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods as ordered by the Emperor to insure victory over rebelling Bagaudae. When they refused to obey repeated orders to do so and withdrew from the army encamped at Octodurum (Martigny) near Lake Geneva to Agaunum (St. Maurice-en-Valais), Maximian had the entire Legion of over six thousand men put to death.
The entire legion refused point-blank to sacrifice or take the oaths, incensing Maximian, whoordered the decimation of the legion at Martigny. It was not to be any ordinary decimation. When every tenth man had been butchered, the survivors bucked the trend and enthusiastically reasserted their Christian faith, further enraging Maximian; 666 more soldiers then met their deaths, their blood turning the Rhone and its flood plain crimson. This was repeated until all the soldiers were dead. To the end they were encouraged in their constancy by Maurice and two fellow officers, Exuperius and Candidus. Not all the members of the legion were at Aguanum at the time of the massacre. Some were posted at various points along the military road linking Switzerland with Germany and Italy. These were systematically martyred wherever they were found.
From Father Alban Butler “Saint Maurice and His Companions, Martyrs”. Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints, 1866:
"The emperor sent forth fresh threats that it was in vain they confided in their multitude; and that if they persisted in their disobedience, not a man among them should escape death. The legion, by the advice of their generous leaders, answered him by a dutiful remonstrance, the substance of which was as follows: “We are your soldiers, but are servants of the true God. We owe you military service and obedience; but we cannot renounce Him who is our Creator and Master, and also yours, even whilst you reject him. In all things which are not against his law we most willingly obey you, as we have done hitherto. We readily oppose all your enemies, whoever they are; but we cannot dip our hands in the blood of innocent persons. We have taken an oath to God before we took one to you: you can place no confidence in our second oath, should we violate the first. You command us to punish the Christians: behold we are all such. We confess God the Father, author of all things, and his Son, Jesus Christ. We have seen our companions slain without lamenting them; and we rejoice at their honour. Neither this extremity to which we are reduced, nor any provocation hath tempted us to revolt. We have arms in our hands; but we do not resist, because we had rather die innocent than live by any sin.”
This legion consisted of about six thousand six hundred men, who were all well armed, and might have sold their lives very dear. But they had learned to give to God what is God’s, and to Cæsar what is Cæsar’s, and they showed their courage more in dying than they had ever done in the most hazardous enterprises."
Python loves a good statue:
Interestingly, in relation to Python's second name (and no offense to Alexander the Great), there is a Saint Alexander in the story of the Theban Legion.
Alexander of Bergamo is said to have been a survivor of the decimation of the Theban Legion who escaped to Milan, where he was recognized and imprisoned until he renounced his Christian faith. Nevertheless, Alexander escaped and fled to Como, only to be captured again and brought back to Milan where he was condemned to death by decapitation, but during the execution the executioner’s arms went stiff. He was imprisoned again and once again managed to escape, ending up in Bergamo. Alexander was yet again captured and was decapitated on 26 August AD 303, where the church of San Alessandro in Colonna now stands.
From the Weapons and Warfare Website:
"Saint Maurice is one of the most popular saints in Western Europe, with over 650 foundations in his name in France alone. Five cathedrals, countless churches, chapels and altars are consecrated in his name all over Europe. Aguanum (Saint Maurice en Valais) has always remained the capital city of veneration of the Thebans and a major pilgrimage resort. An all-night vigil on the night before the feast is regularly attended by up to 1,000 people. On the actual feast day, they carry the relics of the martyrs in the ancient silver caskets. Over seventy towns bear the name of Saint Maurice. In the monastery carrying his name in Switzerland, the vigil ‘Tasbeha’ has been chanted continuously twenty-four hours a day without stopping for more than 500 years now. On 19 July 1941, Pope Pius XII declared Saint Maurice patron Saint of the Italian Army’s Alpini Mountain Infantry Corps".
The Abbey of St. Maurice, Agaunum (French: Abbaye de Saint-Maurice d'Agaune or Saint-Maurice-en-Valais) is a Swiss monastery which dates from the 6th century. The abbey is best known for its connection to the story of the martyrdom of the Theban Legion, its original practice of perpetual psalmody, and a collection of art and antiquity:
There is also the famous Saint Maurice Cathedral in Angers. Here are two shots (notice also cleverly getting a moon into this post):
With every passing week, I fear martyrdom may be our fate.
I hope we will be as brave as St Maurice and the Theban Legion.
Happy Name Day. I hope you do something special.
Posted by: Paul | Sunday, 22 September 2019 at 12:33 PM
Interesting bit of history. I am glad he stood up against censorship - it is a great evil and those who most oppose it most practice it!
Posted by: PythonMagus | Sunday, 22 September 2019 at 11:51 AM