Celsus of Trier

Statue in the Sankt Matthias Church in Bruch (Luxembourg) , which is dedicated to him as a patron saint.

Celsus († allegedly 141 in Trier ) was a legendary early bishop of Trier . His authenticity is doubtful, but he is venerated as a saint .

Adoration

In 980 was Egbert of Trier , the eponymous basilica at the site of an older church rebuild. The sarcophagus with the bones of Celsus was uncovered with a marble slab on which the following text was carved (translated into German):

“Whoever you want to get to know this tomb, here lies someone who is noble in name and also in merit, Celsus; whom the Lord has graced with true glory. Always and everywhere he was employed for the homeland. Those who have sprung from noble families and glorious ancestors rests in this grave, which prepares pious minds. Buried on January 4th. "

His name is in a Prüm Gradual from 933 and on the Willibrord wedding altar from 1100 in the Liebfrauenkirche in Trier. The monk Theodoric von St. Matthias narrated ten miraculous healings . This and the creation of legends made Celsus bishop. Also in the 1148 of Pope Eugene III. Consecrated main altar of St. Paulin are relics of Celsus. He was also venerated as a saint in Luxembourg. He was declared a saint by a synod in Ingelheim , so that from then on his bones were venerated as relics. The saint's feast day is February 23 .

Legendary early bishops of Trier

Bishops are only detectable in Trier from the end of the 3rd century. In order to give the diocese a more venerable age, its foundation was traced back to the apostle Peter , who sent his assistants Eucharius, Maternus and Valerius on a mission to Gaul. Of these, Eucharius became the first bishop of Trier. In fact, a Eucharius was the first verifiable bishop of Trier, but it is dated around 250. Valerius and Maternus then became the second and third bishop of Trier; These names are also historical, but are dated much later: They did not die in 88 and 124, as the legend claims, but after 250 and 300 respectively. There are 23 bishops who are nowhere documented and probably never existed: Auspleins , Celsus, Felix, Mansuetus, Clemens, Moses, Martin I., Anastasius, Andreas, Rusticus, Auctor, Mauritius, Fortunatus, Cassianus Marcus, Navitus, Marcellus, Metropolus, Severin, Florens, Martin II., Maximinus and Valentinus. According to this, Celsus would have been the fifth bishop of Trier, he is said to have served for 14 years and died in 141 under Emperor Antoninus Pius .

Web links

• Entry in Complete Lexicon of Saints (1858)
• Entry on www.heiligenlexikon.de

Literature and Sources

• Emil Donckel: The cult of St. Celsus of Trier. Becoming, growing and decaying , Luxembourg 1972
• Steffny / Lehnert: Merzkirchen - a Chronicle , 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-037531-6