Saint Gereon
Encyclopedia
Saint Gereon of Köln who may have been a soldier
, was martyr
ed at Cologne
, allegedly by beheading
, probably in the early 4th century.
According to his legend, Gereon (called the "Golden Saint") was said to be a soldier of the Theban Legion
. Gregory of Tours
, writing in the 6th century, said that Gereon and his companions were a detachment of fifty men of the Theban Legion who were massacred at Agaunum
by order of Emperor Maximian
for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods
to obtain victory in battle.http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1010.htm
Some of his companions' names are stated as being Cassius, Gregorius Maurus, Florentius, Innocentius (Innocent), Constantinus, and Victor.
Saint Bede mentions that their feast was included in the Sarum
calendar
, as well as the calendars of Barking
and Durham
. Later medieval legends increased the number of Gereon's companions to 290 or 319, and Saint Norbert of Xanten is said to have discovered, through a vision
, the spot at Cologne where the relics of Saint Ursula
and her companions, of Saint Gereon, and of other martyrs lay hidden.
Gereon became a popular military saint
and is often represented in art as a Roman soldier
or medieval knight
. Along with other saints who were beheaded, he is invoked by those suffering from migraine headaches. Hélinand of Froidmont
's Martyrium mentions Saint Gereon. St. Gereon's Basilica
, in Cologne, is dedicated to him.
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, allegedly by beheading
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
, probably in the early 4th century.
According to his legend, Gereon (called the "Golden Saint") was said to be a soldier of the Theban Legion
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...
. Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
, writing in the 6th century, said that Gereon and his companions were a detachment of fifty men of the Theban Legion who were massacred at Agaunum
Agaunum
Roman Agaunum, the modern Saint-Maurice in the canton Valais in southwesternmost Switzerland, was a minor post confined between the Rhône and the mountains along the well-travelled road that led from Roman Genava, modern Geneva, over the Alps by the Great St...
by order of Emperor Maximian
Maximian
Maximian was Roman Emperor from 286 to 305. He was Caesar from 285 to 286, then Augustus from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn. Maximian established his residence at Trier but spent...
for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods
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...
to obtain victory in battle.http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1010.htm
Some of his companions' names are stated as being Cassius, Gregorius Maurus, Florentius, Innocentius (Innocent), Constantinus, and Victor.
Saint Bede mentions that their feast was included in the Sarum
Sarum Rite
The Sarum Rite was a variant of the Roman Rite widely used for the ordering of Christian public worship, including the Mass and the Divine Office...
calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
, as well as the calendars of Barking
Barking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
and Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. Later medieval legends increased the number of Gereon's companions to 290 or 319, and Saint Norbert of Xanten is said to have discovered, through a vision
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
, the spot at Cologne where the relics of Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
and her companions, of Saint Gereon, and of other martyrs lay hidden.
Gereon became a popular military saint
Military saint
The military saints or warrior saints of the Early Christian Church are prominent in the history of Christianity...
and is often represented in art as a Roman soldier
Legionary
The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Legionaries had to be Roman citizens under the age of 45. They enlisted in a legion for twenty-five years of service, a change from the early practice of enlisting only for a campaign...
or medieval knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
. Along with other saints who were beheaded, he is invoked by those suffering from migraine headaches. Hélinand of Froidmont
Helinand of Froidmont
Helinand of Froidmont was a medieval poet, chronicler, and ecclesiastical writer.-Life:He was born of Flemish parents at Pronleroy in Oise in France c. 1150; his date of death is said to be 3 February 1223, or 1229, or 1237...
's Martyrium mentions Saint Gereon. St. Gereon's Basilica
St. Gereon's Basilica
St. Gereon's Basilica is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to Saint Gereon, and designated a minor basilica on June 25, 1920. The first mention of a church at the site, dedicated to St. Gereon, appears in 612...
, in Cologne, is dedicated to him.