Florentius of Strasbourg

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Saint Florentius of Strasbourg (* in the 6th century; † soon after 600 in Strasbourg ) was Bishop of Strasbourg . Florentius (Latin for "the blooming") is the patron saint against breakage and stone ailments, and he is also a cattle patron. His festival is celebrated on November 7th. He is considered the founder of the St. Thomas monasteries in Strasbourg and Niederhaslach .

Life dates

According to the legend, Florentius is a contemporary of Dagobert I (king from 629 / 30-639). However, Florentius takes the place between Arbogast and Ansoald in the Strasbourg bishops' catalog dating from around 870 . While the dates of Arbogast's life as well as those of Florentius are not secured, Ansoald took part in a Franconian synod in October 614. Accordingly, Florentius was in office at the turn of the century. In the case of later life dates (including those of the Arbogast), more weight is attached to the legend. It should be remembered that the founding document of the Niederhaslach monastery , which was issued by Dagobert, is already a medieval forgery.

Vita

There is a legendary biography of Florentius, the oldest written version of which was written around 1170–80 in Niederhaslach .

Florentius, an Irish-Scottish monk, arrived after a long hike in Alsace , where he settled at the hazel . There he began plowing the ground and sowing seeds, and not long afterwards the animals of the forest gathered with him. The place is still called “Mättlein des Florentius” today.

Nearby, in Kirchheim , resided King Dagobert , whose daughter was mute and blind from birth. When the king's hunters went hunting in the forest, they did not find a single animal. Then they came across Florentius, who had gathered the animals around him, and took him for a magician. They beat him with their fists and sticks and took away his tools. On the way back they got caught in a swamp and got stuck in it. Then they recognized the holiness of Florentius and repented of their deed. They returned to him to give him back his tools and to throw themselves at his feet. When the king heard of this deed, he had the man of God brought to him in the Pfalz Kirchheim. Even before Florentius entered the Palatinate, the king's dumb and blind daughter was healed. The king and his wife could hardly believe this for joy and thanked Florentius. Since there was no one to take his cloak from him, Florentius threw it onto a ray of sunshine, which immediately carried it.

In gratitude, the king gave the hermit the place where he resided, including as much land as Florentius could ride around with his donkey while the king was bathing. The saint was soon riding around an area with such speed that not even a racehorse could have done in twice the time. When he got back to the king, he had just finished bathing, so Florentius could hand him the gloves. The king was, according to his promise him the possession, after which there Florentius one of the Mother of God consecrated monastery built.

When the Strasbourg bishop St. Arbogast died, Florentius was elected to succeed him. After being a good bishop for a long time and loved by the people, he passed away. His body was buried in the church that he led during his lifetime.

At the time when Rachio was bishop of Strasbourg, he had the bones of Florentius transferred to Haslach and ordered that he himself should be buried there.

Relic translation and relic controversy

As is reported in the legend, Florentius was buried in St. Thomas' monastery in Strasbourg, but the body was transferred to Niederhaslach in 810 by Bishop Rachio . The translation took place on November 7th, and for this date he arranged a translation festival for the whole diocese .

In fact, the translation festival has been handed down since the turn of the millennium. The oldest note can be found in a calendar of the St. Thomas-Stift in Strasbourg, which was created around 1000 (today Munich, State Library, Cod. Lat. 27 129). But in the 12th century a dispute arose between Niederhaslach and the St. Thomas monastery, which still claimed to own the relics . Bishop Burchard , former provost of Haslach, decided this dispute in favor of Haslach when he had the relics there opened on October 25th and 26th, 1143 and a lead tablet with the inscription Ego Rachio dei gratia Argentinesis episcopus Florentium confessorem et episcopum VII id. Novembris in Avellanu transtuli, et hunc diem solemnem banno constitui. Amen. found. The fact that the lead tablet was made in connection with the examination of relics makes it probable that the shrine was opened twice on October 25 and 26; the tablet was not discovered until the second day.

Today the relics are in a baroque shrine in a niche on the north side of the choir. Directly below is a late Gothic tombstone of Bishop Rachios.

Florentius in art

In art he appears in bishop's costume or as a hermit with animals.

Individual representations

The oldest representation of Florentius is a stone relief (around 1160), which was located in the garden of a former provost building in Niederhaslach. It is dated around 1160. The owner sold the relief to the USA around 1930, where it is said to be in the depot of a modern art museum today.

There are other early representations in the Strasbourg cathedral (glass window in the south transept, around 1240) and in the choir of the Niederhaslach collegiate church (glass window, around 1280).

Cycles

At the Niederhaslach collegiate church there are two works of art that tell the vita of Florentius: on the tympanum above the main portal of the church, seven scenes of his life are shown (relief, around 1320), inside the church a glass window in the south aisle shows twelve scenes (around 1350/60). The translation of relics is also illustrated in both cycles. The individual scenes show:

Tympanum of the Niederhaslach collegiate church.
  • Florentius as a hermit in the Haslacher Forest,
  • Florentius is mistreated by the king's hunters, *
  • The king's hunters show repentance and return his tools to Florentius,
  • Florentius rides to the king's palace, *
  • The healing of the king's daughter, *
  • King Dagobert thanks the saint who hung his cloak on a sunbeam *
  • Florentius hands the king his gloves after the bath,
  • The transfer of the monastery by the king, *
  • Florentius consecrates the monastery of Our Lady, *
  • Florentius becomes Bishop of Strasbourg,
  • Burial of the saint,
  • Transfer of the relics in 810 by Bishop Rachio. *

(*: to be seen in the tympanum and in the window)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Illustrated by Barth 1952 (see lit.), Fig. 9.
  2. ↑ According to information from the Niederhaslach pastor.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Florentius of Strasbourg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Strasbourg
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century
DATE OF DEATH after 600
Place of death Strasbourg