Beatus of Lungern

Beatus (lat: . The lucky one; † angebl to 112 in the Beatushöhle on Lake Thun ), who lived as a hermit on the Lake of Thun, was allegedly ordained and commissioned to convert the Switzerland of Peter.

Life

Beatus is said to have originally borne the name of Suetonius and lived in the first century AD in England. He traveled to Rome, after he was converted by Barnabas and baptized in the name Beatus. There he joined Peter and became a priest. Together with his companions Achatus he broke the preaching of the Gospel according to an order from the pope in the north of the Alps on. The legend makes him then in a cave near Beatenberg live as a hermit on Lake Thun, where he is said to have fought a terrible, devastating the area and dragons had died as a benefactor of the country. He was buried at his own request, in the vicinity of the cave. Then were sick, who visited the grave, has been freed from their suffering.

The legends of Beatus were written in 1511 by the Basel Franciscan Daniel Agricola after a Carolingian hagiography. This document, with illustrations by Urs Graf, formed the basis for later stories.

The historical background of the legend is probably the iroschottische abbot Beatus of Honau in Alsace, whose monks in the 6/7 Century central Switzerland are said to have evangelized. Beatus is considered the apostle of Switzerland. In Beatenberg on Lake Thun his cave is shown, which is a place of pilgrimage since the 13th century. His feast day is May 9 Beat is a common man's name in Switzerland.

Attributes Patronagen

• Attributes: hermit cave before, Dragon
• Saint of Switzerland; against cancer and plague