Rufus of Metz
Saint Rufus of Metz († around 400 in Metz ) was Bishop of Metz .
Life and cult
Little is known about his life. In the trial of Priscillian for Manichaeism u. a. at his instigation, charges against the heretic were brought.
He was venerated as a saint from an early age. In the 8th century his tomb is attested in the Metz church of St. Felix (now St. Clément). Here he rested next to his successor St. Adelphus , whose bones - like those of St. Rufus - were moved to another place for worship.
The Rufus relics were transferred to Gau-Odernheim ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) around 850 , to the church there belonging to St. Stephen's Cathedral in Metz . His grave became a place of pilgrimage here and the important Church of St. Rufus was built, today's Simultankirche Gau-Odernheim . The relics lay in a high grave, the stone sarcophagus and the lid decorated with figures (from 1418) have been preserved. Under the Mainz diocese administrator Adalbert von Sachsen , graves and relics were examined in detail and inquiries were made in Metz. Since a positive report was issued, he permitted the ceremonial opening of the coffin and the exhibition of the bones on two days a year with a certificate dated September 23, 1483; he also granted an indulgence for the pilgrims.
The qualitative representation on the coffin lid was badly damaged during the Reformation period (face and other parts chopped off), the relics have been lost. According to an unsecured report by the historian Valentin Ferdinand Gudenus (1679–1758), the Spaniards are said to have brought the body of the saint to Bruges in the Spanish Netherlands during the Thirty Years' War to save it from destruction.
A medieval mural of St. Rufus has been preserved in the nave of the Gau-Odernheim church. One window of the choir shows a 19th century depiction of Rufus, which is based on the image on the coffin lid.
His feast day is November 7th .
gallery
Damaged tombstone (1418), choir of the simultaneous church in Gau-Odernheim
Illustration from the 19th century, window in the choir of the simultaneous church in Gau-Odernheim
The Gau-Odernheim simultaneous church consecrated to St. Rufus
Simultaneous church Gau-Odernheim
literature
- Franz Falk : The grave of Bishop Rufus von Metz zu Gau-Odernheim , in: Der Katholik , 51st year (1871), 1st volume, pp. 751–757; (Digital scan)
- Alban Butler: Lives of the Fathers and Martyrs together with other excellent saints , Volume 16, Mainz, 1825, p. 267 u. 268; (Digital scan)
- Simultankirche Gau-Odernheim , Schnell u. Steiner Art Guide No. 2498, Regensburg, 2002, ISBN 3-7954-6406-4
- Ekkart Sauser : Rufus of Metz. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 22, Bautz, Nordhausen 2003, ISBN 3-88309-133-2 , Sp. 1173
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Victor II. |
Bishop of Metz 4th – 5th Century |
Adelphus |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rufus of Metz |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Bishop of Metz |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 400 |
| Place of death | Metz |