Exuperantius

Exuperantius, Reformed Church in Elgg

Martyrdom of Exuperantius, Felix and Regula, reliefs in the Catholic Church Felix and Regula in Zurich and in the cloister of the Fraumünster

Fresco of the three city saints in the Reformed Church in Pfäffikon

The seal shape common today goes back to the so-called secret seal used by the Council of Zurich since 1347 . Transcription: SECRETVM CIVIVM THVRICENSIVM.

Seal of the City and Canton of Zurich

Exuperantius (* unknown; † after 302 in Zurich ; popularly known as Häxebränz ) is, along with Felix and Regula, the third Zurich patron saint , a saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church . His feast day is September 11th .

Short biography

Exuperantius is said to have been the "servant" of Felix and Regula, as they were a member of the legendary Theban Legion , and was killed as a martyr during the persecution of Christians during the reign of Emperor Diocletian . After his martyrdom, Exuperantius, Felix and Regula are said to have carried his head 40 cubits up the banks of the Limmat , kneeled down and finally laid down to rest. The three city saints are said to have been buried here and the city of Zurich's Grossmünster , consecrated to them, was built in the 9th century .

About the execution stone on a small island in the River Limmat, the place of their martyrdom and beheadings that was Wasserkirche built. The surroundings of the medieval grave site and the alleged execution stone in the crypt of the Wasserkirche date back to the 11th century.

Legend

The oldest written form of the legend of Felix and Regula comes from the first half of the 9th century (Codex 225, St. Gallen Abbey Library ). The introduction with the formula Tempore illo (at that time) refers to the Carolingian age . The written version of the legend was probably created after the Passio acaunensis martyrum, in which the legend of the Theban Legion has been handed down.

The story of Exuperantius is said to have been handed down as part of the legend only since the 13th century, although the name Exuperius is mentioned in the saga of the Theban Legion . Whether this “new version” of the legend from Christian-Orthodox sources, which is historically proven beyond doubt, has been corrected needs to be clarified more precisely, as does the change from Felix and Regula to “noble” and Exuperantius to their “servant”.

Historical interpretation

Another interpretation is said to come from Johannes Stumpf's Swiss Chronicle of 1547/48, even if this is not considered certain: Exuperantius - popularly known as Häxebränz (perhaps based on Bränz “brandy”) - is said to have been a popular saint figure in the 13th century be. The Great Minster, which is decisive for questions of faith in Zurich, is said to have defended itself against this illegitimate saint until a citizen bequeathed his lands to him in 1264 on the condition that Exuperantius would from now on also be included in the liturgy .

Another explanation is based on a translation error. The text Felix exuperantius et Regula (that is, "Felix, the devotee together with Regula" - the focus was on the man) was written as FELIX EXUPERANTIUS ET REGULA and then translated as Felix, Exuperantius and Regula, making two people three.

In order to differentiate the city seal from that of the Fraumünster abbess (the nominal city mistress at the time), the city council added their "servants" Exuperantius to the seal of the two previous monastery saints, according to the much more mundane power-political declaration . One of the oldest surviving city seals with the three city saints can be found on a document from 1225.

Regardless of the possible interpretations, it is interesting that since 1348 Exuperantius has been depicted together with Felix and Regula on the city seal (sigillum civium thuricensium) and then also on that of the 1803 canton (state) of Zurich.

literature

Hansueli F. Etter, Urs Baur, Jürg Hanser, Jürg E. Schneider: The Zurich city saints Felix and Regula. Legends, relics, history and their message in the light of modern research . Office for Archeology of the City of Zurich, Zurich 1988, ISBN 3-905243-01-6 .
K. Werner Glaettli: Zurich legends. 2nd, increased edition. Rohr, Zurich 1970.
Iso Müller: The early Carolingian Passion of the Zurich saints. In: Journal for Swiss Church History. Vol. 65, 1971, ISSN 0044-3484 , pp. 132-187, online .
Cécile Ramer: Felix, Regula and Exuperantius. Iconography of the monastery and city saints of Zurich. Antiquarian Society, Zurich 1973 ( communications from the Antiquarian Society in Zurich. 47, ZDB -ID 280134-6 = Neujahrsblatt. 137). (At the same time: Diss. Univ. Zurich, 1972: The Zurich city saints Felix, Regula and Exuperantius in legend and art. )
Cécile Ramer: The Zurich city saints Felix, Regula and Exuperantius in legend and art. (9th - 17th centuries). o. N., Zurich 1972 (partial print, Zurich, Univ, Diss., 1972).
Paul W. Roth: Soldier Saints. Verlag Styria, Graz Vienna Cologne, 1993, ISBN 3-222-12185-0 .

Web links

Commons : Exuperantius (Zurich) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ State Chancellery of the Canton of Zurich: On the history of the state seal

↑ History of Exuperantius, Felix and Regula in the FAQ of the City Archives of the City of Zurich ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.

↑ cf. Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints

↑ Quotation from the book Heimatkunde der Stadt Zürich (page 7), Karl der Grosse und der Hirsch: “When Emperor Karl, while he was still king, rode out to hunt from the city of Cologne, he came across a large, beautiful deer ... So he chased him from Cologne to Zurich ... whether the Turicum Palace [the former Pfalzburg on the Lindenhof on the left bank of the Limmat] on the other side of the water, the deer fell on his knees. The dogs did the same and refused to run any further. The hunters reported this miracle to the king, who rushed to see it. When the horses came up, they also fell to their knees. The king then understood that God had sent the stag to him because he wanted to work a miracle here. Karl got off his horse and asked God to reveal his will to him. Immediately two hermits appeared who lived in the area. They said there were three saints buried there who were previously tortured for the sake of the Christian faith. Then the emperor took up residence in town and castle Turicum, which were right next to it. He called all the priests of the country and reported to them the great miracle that had happened to him. He dug and looked for the martyrs. After they were found, they were raised to high honors and canonized. Several years later, Charlemagne built the Felix and Regulakirche [Grossmünster] over the graves of the saints. "

^ Excavation report (Wasserkirche) dated December 7, 2004, Office for Urban Development, Archeology, Dölf Wild

↑ R. Luginbühl (Ed.): Heinrich Brennwald, Swiss Chronicle in connection with Swiss history, p. 613

↑ See Schweizerisches Idiotikon , Volume V, Column 765, article Häxe ⁿ bränz ( digitized version ).

↑ Zurich City Archives: Questions and answers ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.

personal data
SURNAME	Exuperantius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Häxebränz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	with Felix and Regula the third patron saint of Zurich, a saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church
DATE OF BIRTH	3rd century
DATE OF DEATH	after 302
Place of death	Zurich

[1] State Chancellery of the Canton of Zurich: On the history of the state seal

[2] History of Exuperantius, Felix and Regula in the FAQ of the City Archives of the City of Zurich ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2

[3] . Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints

[4] Quotation from the book Heimatkunde der Stadt Zürich (page 7), Karl der Grosse und der Hirsch: “When Emperor Karl, while he was still king, rode out to hunt from the city of Cologne, he came across a large, beautiful deer ... So he chased him from Cologne to Zurich ... whether the Turicum Palace [the former Pfalzburg on the Lindenhof on the left bank of the Limmat] on the other side of the water, the deer fell on his knees. The dogs did the same and refused to run any further. The hunters reported this miracle to the king, who rushed to see it. When the horses came up, they also fell to their knees. The king then understood that God had sent the stag to him because he wanted to work a miracle here. Karl got off his horse and asked God to reveal his will to him. Immediately two hermits appeared who lived in the area. They said there were three saints buried there who were previously tortured for the sake of the Christian faith. Then the emperor took up residence in town and castle Turicum, which were right next to it. He called all the priests of the country and reported to them the great miracle that had happened to him. He dug and looked for the martyrs. After they were found, they were raised to high honors and canonized. Several years later, Charlemagne built the Felix and Regulakirche [Grossmünster] over the graves of the saints. "

[5] Excavation report (Wasserkirche) dated December 7, 2004, Office for Urban Development, Archeology, Dölf Wild