Evermarus

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Evermarus reliquary bust in the treasury of St. Johann Baptist in Aachen-Burtscheid

According to legend, St. Evermarus was a Frisian nobleman who made a pilgrimage with seven companions towards the end of the 7th century to Santiago de Compostela (Spain), the then stronghold of Christian pilgrimages. On the way back they were attacked and murdered by the Hacoo band of robbers at Herstappe (Rutten) near Tongeren (Belgium). According to legend, Pippin von Herstal discovered the bodies during one of his hunting trips and had them buried.

In 968 Evermarus was canonized and his remains were transferred to the Church of St. Martin in Rutten (Belgium). In the 11th century , a chapel was built at the place where the murdered saint was found .

The Church of St. Martin and the Evermarus Chapel in Rutten belonged to the imperial abbey of Burtscheid near Aachen since the 13th century . When, towards the end of the 15th century, Rutten became involved in warlike events, the relic was transferred to the safe patronage abbey of Burtscheid . After the danger for Rutten had ended, the reliquary with the bones of the saint was brought back to Rutten. However, the skullcap, which was included in another reliquary, remained in Burtscheid. This reliquary is now in the abbey treasure of St. Johann (Aachen-Burtscheid) .

Statue of St. Evermarus in Rutten (Belgium). In the background the Evermarus Chapel

On October 10, 1480, Bishop Aegidius von Tournai certified that he had sent the head and other relics of the Burtscheid Abbey (State Chancellery Düsseldorf, etc.). There is no data on the return of part of the relics to Rutten.

The cranium was not included in a bust reliquary until 1707. Originally a glass plate allowed a view of the relic there. This was then replaced by a silver dome that can be opened.

The Burtscheid abbey treasury with valuable evidence of the abbey history since 997 is open regularly at certain times.

Every year on May 1st, a mystery play takes place at the chapel in Rutten on the feast day of St. Evermarus. In this so-called Evermarus game , the events of the murder of St. Evermarus and his companions are recreated by amateurs.

In Rheinberg-Borth (on the left Lower Rhine) there is the parish of St. Evermarus , which received pieces of a bone as a relic from Rutten. The local parish of St. Evermarus was originally probably not connected to the Rutten Evermarus. The Borther Evermarus belonged to the Roman Thebaic Legion with St. Viktor von Xanten .

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Commons : Evermarus  - collection of images, videos and audio files