The Martyrdom of St Maurice and the Theban Legion

September 22nd was the Feast of St Maurice and his Companions, also known as the Martyrdom of the Theban Legion, in the traditional calendar. 

In a very interesting and wide ranging article on the New Liturgical Movement  Gregory DiPippo recounts the traditional story of the martyrdom of St Maurice and his companions, almost all of them anonymous, and the development of their cult. He also provides an insightful explanation of the origins of the story, that takes a perhaps more reasonable view of what may have happened rather than a massacre on the scale that tradition has claimed. That is not to deny the fact that Christian soldiers were martyred, but explains the seemingly improbably large number, which might have led some to discount the entire narrative. The article is well illustrated, and can be seen at The Martyrs of the Theban Legion

These images include El Greco’s marvellous painting of the Martyrs in the Escorial. That image is discussed, including identifying two of the artist’s models or inspirations, by Wikipedia at The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice

The Martyrdom of Ss Maurice and Companions, by El Greco, 1580-2

Image: New Liturgical Movement from Wikipedia 

I have posted before about artistic depictions of St Maurice - and they are very varied - in 2012 at, St Maurice and the Theban Legion, and in 2015 at St Maurice and the Theban Legion. Unfortunately a number of the images refuse to download but there are still some fascinating images. Linked to it is a post from the same year about St Gereon and his cult in Cologne. A member of the Theban Legion who was not present at the Martyrdom he and others surrendered to the Emperor at Cologne where they too gained their martyr’s crown. That can be seen at St Gereon and companions