St Mauritius' Day in Switzerland in 2024

St Mauritius' Day in Switzerland in 2024
Schwägalp Pass is an Alpine mountain pass between the cantons of St. Gallen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. Image by Monika Iris , via Pixabay
  How long until St Mauritius' Day?
St Mauritius' Day
  Dates of St Mauritius' Day in Switzerland
2025 Appenzell Innerrhoden Mon, Sep 22 Regional Holiday
2024 Appenzell Innerrhoden Sun, Sep 22 Regional Holiday
2023 Appenzell Innerrhoden Fri, Sep 22 Regional Holiday
2022 Appenzell Innerrhoden Thu, Sep 22 Regional Holiday
2021 Appenzell Innerrhoden Wed, Sep 22 Regional Holiday
  Summary

Mauritius was a commander of a Roman legion who was martyred for refusing to persecute Christians.

  Local name
Mauritiustag

When is St. Mauritius Day?

St Mauritius' Day or Mauritiustag in Appenzell, Innerrhoden and Solothurn is held on September 22nd.

History of St Mauritius' Day

According to legend, Mauritius (Maurice) came from Syria. He was the Roman commander of the Theban legion.

The legion, entirely composed of Christians, had been called from Thebes in Egypt to Gaul to assist Emperor Maximian in defeating a revolt.

The legion was dispatched with orders to clear the Great St Bernard Pass across the Alps. However, when Maximian ordered them to harass some local Christians, they refused. Ordering the unit to be punished, Maximian had every tenth soldier killed, a military punishment known as decimation.

Maurice encouraged his troops to ignore further orders, and a second decimation was ordered. In response to the refusals to attack fellow Christians, Maximian ordered all the remaining members of his legion to be executed. The place in Switzerland where this occurred, known as Agaunum, is now Saint-Maurice, Switzerland, site of the Abbey of St. Maurice.


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