Falko from Maastricht

Falko was Bishop of Tongeren in the first third of the 6th century . He is venerated as a saint.

Life

In contrast to many other bishops during the period of upheaval between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the establishment of the Frankish Empire, the source can be grasped. His episcopate began at an unclear point in time between 458 and 535. He is the first bishop of Tongeren whose name suggests a Germanic origin.

He is mentioned in a letter from Remigius of Reims . It is about a conflict within the church. The events cannot be dated precisely. However, they took place at the very beginning of Falko's time as bishop. The only thing that is certain about the temporal limitation of his episcopate is that it ended before the Council of Clermont in 535. On this the successor Domitian of Maastricht was already mentioned .

Remigius accused Falco of having illegally taken possession of the church of Mouzon , which was previously under the Archdiocese of Reims . According to Remigius' statements, Falco had tried to make Mouzon a sub-center of his diocese. He is said to have already called lower clerics, ordained presbyters and appointed the head of a school. The church should be subordinate to an archdeacon . The naming of such a senior official suggests an important project. The occupation with new clerics and the lack of reference to existing clergy suggests that the church was not in use at that time. Falko claimed the income from this church.

It is improbable that these events are related to the Frankish division of the Empire in 510. Another thesis is based on the assumption that this is to be seen in connection with a relocation of the diocese from Tongeren to Maastricht . The goal could then have been to bind the diocese more closely to the areas with an unbroken Romanesque-Christian way of life. But this thesis must also remain uncertain.

In any case, Remigius considered Falko's behavior so reprehensible that it would justify his impeachment. But he also took credit for his inexperience. He rejected the ordinations made by Falko as unlawful and had the ordained removed from their offices. Overall, Falko's reaching out was apparently later reversed.

He is venerated as a saint. His feast day is February 20th.

Individual evidence

↑ Knut Schaeferdiek: Franca Rhiensis and the Rhenish Church. Marginal notes on early Franconian history. In: threshold time. Contributions to the history of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Berlin et al., 1996 p. 343, Eugen Ewig: The Merovingians and the Franconian Empire. Stuttgart, 1988 p. 113
↑ Knut Schäferdiek: Remigius v. Reims. In: threshold time. Contributions to the history of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Berlin u. a., 1996 p. 321f., Knut Schäferdiek: Franca Rhiensis and the Rhenish Church. Marginal notes on early Franconian history. In: threshold time. Contributions to the history of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Berlin u. a., 1996 pp. 339, 343-347

personal data
SURNAME	Falko from Maastricht
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Bishop of Tongeren and saint
DATE OF BIRTH	5th century or 6th century
DATE OF DEATH	6th century

[1] Knut Schaeferdiek: Franca Rhiensis and the Rhenish Church. Marginal notes on early Franconian history. In: threshold time. Contributions to the history of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Berlin et al., 1996 p. 343, Eugen Ewig: The Merovingians and the Franconian Empire. Stuttgart, 1988 p. 113

[2] Knut Schäferdiek: Remigius v. Reims. In: threshold time. Contributions to the history of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Berlin u. a., 1996 p. 321f., Knut Schäferdiek: Franca Rhiensis and the Rhenish Church. Marginal notes on early Franconian history. In: threshold time. Contributions to the history of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Berlin u. a., 1996 pp. 339, 343-347