Magnus of Cuneo
Encyclopedia
Saint Magnus of Cuneo is venerated as a member of the legendary Theban Legion
. The center of his cult is situated at the mountain sanctuary known as the Santuario di San Magno, in the Valle Grana, Castelmagno
, in the province of Cuneo
.
Local tradition makes him a soldier of the Theban Legion, which had been commanded by Saint Maurice
. The Legion, according to tradition, was largely massacred in 286 AD, but Magnus fled to the mountains of Piedmont
, preaching the Christian
religion in the Alps
. He was eventually martyred and buried in the spot now occupied by the Santuario di San Magno. The church, however, may have occupied a spot once dedicated to the Roman god
Mars
. The current church was built between 1704 and 1716, in Piedmontese Baroque
style, though its interior still preserves frescoes of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
As Damiano Pomi points out, neither documentary nor archaeological evidence supports the connection between Magnus and the Theban Legion. Similar to the cults of Saint Chiaffredo at Crissolo
, Saint Bessus
at Val Soana, Saint Tegulus at Ivrea
, Saint Constantius
at Villar San Costanzo
, and Saint Dalmatius
at Borgo San Dalmazzo
, the cult of Saint Magnus was linked with that of the Theban Legion to lend antiquity to a local saint about whom nothing was really known.
Magnus has been identified with Magnus of Füssen
(Mang), a later monk of the same name associated with the Bavaria
n monastery
at Füssen
, whose cult would have spread south to Piedmont by the Benedictines. However, due to his association with the Theban Legion, Magnus was depicted as a Roman soldier holding a banner and the palm of martyrdom. He should not be confused with Magnus of Anagni
, whose feast day occurs on the same day.
Theban Legion
The Theban Legion figures in Christian hagiography as an entire Roman legion — of "six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — who had converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together, in 286, according to the hagiographies of Saint Maurice, the chief among the Legion's...
. The center of his cult is situated at the mountain sanctuary known as the Santuario di San Magno, in the Valle Grana, Castelmagno
Castelmagno
Castelmagno is a small comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 80 km southwest of Turin and about 25 km west of Cuneo....
, in the province of Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
.
Local tradition makes him a soldier of the Theban Legion, which had been commanded by Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice 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. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms...
. The Legion, according to tradition, was largely massacred in 286 AD, but Magnus fled to the mountains of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, preaching the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
religion in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. He was eventually martyred and buried in the spot now occupied by the Santuario di San Magno. The church, however, may have occupied a spot once dedicated to the Roman god
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
. The current church was built between 1704 and 1716, in Piedmontese Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style, though its interior still preserves frescoes of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
As Damiano Pomi points out, neither documentary nor archaeological evidence supports the connection between Magnus and the Theban Legion. Similar to the cults of Saint Chiaffredo at Crissolo
Crissolo
Crissolo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km southwest of Turin and about 45 km northwest of Cuneo, on the border with France...
, Saint Bessus
Saint Bessus
Saint Bessus, sometimes Besse, is venerated as a member of the legendary Theban Legion, whose members were led by Saint Maurice and were martyred for their Christian faith in the 3rd century. Except for St. Maurice's cult, veneration for Bessus enjoyed a wider popularity than those associated...
at Val Soana, Saint Tegulus at Ivrea
Ivrea
Ivrea is a town and comune of the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley , it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area. Ivrea lies in a basin that, in prehistoric times, formed a great lake...
, Saint Constantius
Constantius (Theban Legion)
Saint Constantius is venerated as a member of the legendary Theban Legion. Similar to the cults of Saint Chiaffredo at Crissolo, Saint Bessus at Val Soana, Saint Tegulus at Ivrea, Saint Magnus at Castelmagno, and Saint Dalmatius at Borgo San Dalmazzo, the cult of Saint Constantius was linked with...
at Villar San Costanzo
Villar San Costanzo
Villar San Costanzo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km southwest of Turin and about 15 km northwest of Cuneo...
, and Saint Dalmatius
Dalmatius of Pavia
Dalmatius of Pavia is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. It is possible that Dalmatius was simply a local preacher of northern Italy, but the century in which he lived or the manner in which he died is unknown....
at Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 8 km southwest of Cuneo...
, the cult of Saint Magnus was linked with that of the Theban Legion to lend antiquity to a local saint about whom nothing was really known.
Magnus has been identified with Magnus of Füssen
Magnus of Füssen
Saint Magnus of Füssen, otherwise Magnoald or Mang, was a missionary saint in southern Germany, also known as the Apostle of the Allgäu. He is believed to have been a contemporary either of Saint Gall or of Saint Boniface and is venerated as the founder of St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen.-Life:There is...
(Mang), a later monk of the same name associated with the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n monastery
St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen
St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen or Füssen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Füssen in Bavaria, Germany.- History :The Benedictine abbey of Saint Mang was founded in the first half of the 9th century as a proprietary monastery of the Bishops of Augsburg...
at Füssen
Füssen
Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu situated from the Austrian border. It is located on the banks of the Lech river. The River Lech flows into the Forggensee...
, whose cult would have spread south to Piedmont by the Benedictines. However, due to his association with the Theban Legion, Magnus was depicted as a Roman soldier holding a banner and the palm of martyrdom. He should not be confused with Magnus of Anagni
Magnus of Anagni
Saint Magnus of Anagni , also known as Magnus of Trani or Magnus of Fabrateria Vetus, is venerated as the patron saint of Anagni. According to tradition, he was born at Trani in the 2nd century, the son of a man named Apollonius. He became a shepherd at an early age to support the family; he had...
, whose feast day occurs on the same day.