Lentorama 2018: Second String Saints

Day 23 - Maurice and Companions

Maurice was the leader of the Theban Legion of the Roman army during the third century. When the unit was transferred to Gaul to help Emperor Maximian, Maurice and his legionnaires (all Christians) refused to sacrifice to pagan gods or pay homage to the emperor. They would then refuse orders to harass local Christians, which led Maximian to order a decimation of the legion. More refused order led to a second decimation, and further refusal to attack Christians resulted in the entire legion being put to death.

There's a fair amount of debate over the historical veracity of this story, with those arguing for its historical basis pointing at physical evidence like coins and contemporary written sources, and those arguing for it being of a literary origin only. It's also noted that monastic sources don't confirm that the entire legion was killed, often suggesting that most of the legion was able to escape. There's also the fact that the Roman military at the time was strongly aligned with pagan gods like Mithras or Isis, so the existence of an entire legion (roughly 1000 men) of Christians seems unlikely.

So while Maurice and his legion aren't on the general calendar any more, Maurice is still widely venerated and is the patron saint for a number of professions and groups, including the pope's Swiss Guard. So it's kind of a soft landing for Maurice.