Gereon of Cologne (), who may have been a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

, was

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

ed at

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

by beheading, probably in the early 4th century.

History

The Roman Martyrology states that "In Cologne in Germany, the Saints Gereon and his companions, martyrs, who with sincere piety, courageously offered their necks to the sword." That brief outline is the official account of the church, that is, the martyrdom by beheading, in the famous German city, of a group of Christians headed by a certain Gereon. In fact, nothing more can be said about them with historical certainty.

Legend

According to his legend, Gereon (called the "Golden Saint") was said to be a soldier"St. Gereon", Köln Tourismus
/ref> of the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christianity, Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Roman Egypt, Egypt —"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — consisting of Christian soldiers who were marty ...

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, writing in the 6th century, said that Gereon and his companions were a detachment of fifty men of the Theban Legion who were massacred at Agaunum by order of Emperor Maximian for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods to obtain victory in battle. Some of his companions' names are stated as being Cassius, Gregorius Maurus, Florentius, Innocentius (Innocent), Constantinus, and Victor. Bede the Venerable mentions that their feast was included in the Sarum

calendar A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...

, as well as the calendars of Barking and Durham. Later medieval legends increased the number of Gereon's companions to 290 or 319, and

Norbert of Xanten Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1080 – 6 June 1134), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a German Catholic bishop who was the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, Archbishop of Magdeburg, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is ...

is said to have discovered, through a vision, the spot at Cologne where the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

of Ursula and her companions, of Gereon, and of other martyrs lay hidden. Gereon became a popular

military saint The military saints, warrior saints and soldier saints are patron saints, martyrs and other saints associated with the military. They were originally composed of the early Christians who were soldiers in the Roman army during the persecution of ...

and is often represented in art as a

Roman soldier This is a list of Roman army units and bureaucrats. *'' Accensus'' – Light infantry men in the armies of the early Roman Republic, made up of the poorest men of the army. *''Actuarius'' – A soldier charged with distributing pay and provisions ...

or medieval knight. Along with other saints who were beheaded, he is invoked by those suffering from

migraine headache Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...

s. Hélinand of Froidmont's ''Martyrium'' mentions Saint Gereon.

Legacy

St. Gereon's Basilica, in Cologne, is dedicated to him.

Stefan Lochner Stefan Lochner (the ''Dombild Master'' or ''Master Stefan''; c. 1410 – late 1451) was a German painter working in the late International Gothic period. His paintings combine that era's tendency toward long flowing lines and brilliant colours ...

painted a triptych in the 15th century which, in the centre piece, shows in almost life-size figures the worshipping of the Magi, and the side panels of which represent Ursula with her companions, and Gereon with his warriors. In 1810 the triptych was moved from the town hall to the choir chapel of the cathedral.

Saint-Géréon Saint-Géréon () is a former commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of Ancenis-Saint-Géréon. See also *Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department The following ...

is a small town located in the department of Loire-Atlantique of the French region Pays de la Loire. The martyr is depicted on the 13th century seal of the Convent of St. Gereon, Cologne.

Gallery

File:Stefan Lochner 004.jpg, Saint Gereon with companions File:Kopf Heiliger Gereon Köln.jpg, Statue of the head of Saint Gereon, outside of St. Gereon's Basilica

References

External links

Patron Saints: GereonSaint of the Day, October 10: Gereon and Companions
at ''SaintPatrickDC.org'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gereon 3rd-century births Saints of Germania 4th-century Christian martyrs 304 deaths Legendary Romans eo:Gereon#Sanktulo