Himerius (St. Immer)

Himerius (* around 570 in Lugnez , † around 620 in Saint-Imier ) was a hermit and is a saint.

Himerius came from a noble family. There is historical evidence of a stay in the city of Lausanne , a pilgrimage to Palestine and his life as a hermit in the valley of the Schüss near Saint-Imier after 610. According to a legend, Himerius received the land in the Schüsstal as a gift from the Lausanne bishop Marius († 594). However, this fact remains questionable due to his résumé.

Another legend is also doubtful : the liberation of the area by Himerius from a devilish griffin , which has left traces right up to today's Basel Carnival . Relics of the mythological animal (including a gigantic claw) are said to have been preserved in Saint-Imier , but unfortunately were destroyed during the Reformation .

A chapel was built near his grave in the 9th century. A canon monastery was founded in the 12th century . The name of the municipality of Saint-Imier is derived from Saint Himerius .

His feast day is November 13th.

literature

Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz : HIMERIUS, (Hymerius, Imier, Immer), saint. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 875. ( Article / beginning of article in the Internet archive )
Pierre-Olivier Walzer: La vie des saints du Jura , Réclère (1979), pp. 99–132
Maxime Gorce: Occident 561 - 755. Saint-Imier 570 - 635. Grossniklaus, Saint-Imier 1963. 3 volumes, XVI + 905 pages + illustrated part

personal data
SURNAME	Himerius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Saint and hermit in the valley of the Schüss
DATE OF BIRTH	around 570
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lugnez
DATE OF DEATH	around 620
Place of death	Saint-Imier