The worship of the martyrs’ relics in Saint-Maurice is a tradition that has been preserved for over 1,500 years by the community of canons at the Abbey of St Maurice d’Agaune in the Valais. The Abbey was founded in 515 to perpetuate the ‘profession of faith‘ of St Maurice and his comrades from the Theban Legion who were said to have been executed in this region. To this day, the canons are responsible for preserving the tradition of relic worship and passing it on to laypeople from all different backgrounds. The tradition comprises the daily liturgical celebrations, open to believers, the preservation and promotion of the monastery treasures, welcoming pilgrims, and the procession featuring the reliquaries on St Maurice’s Day (22 September).
St Maurice’s Day is the most high-profile and popular manifestation of the relic worship tradition. The highlight of the festivities is the procession, in which reliquaries from the monastery treasures are carried through the streets on men’s backs. The procession involves several hundred people (the community of canons from the Abbey, members of the clergy from Switzerland and abroad, public officials, bands, amateur groups and others). The festival has a strong social dimension (with convivial drinks, shared meals, a monastic market and various entertainment). It is a key moment in Saint-Maurice community life and is testament to the local population’s attachment to the tradition of relic worship, which is inextricably linked to the town’s identity.
