Saint Maur of Pécs

Various modern hagiographers.

We all know the efforts made by Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, to propagate the Christian religion in his states. The reputation of his virtues attracted religious men who came there to work for the glory of God and to second the king's efforts. Among them was one named Maur, who lived in the famous abbey of Saint-Martin. Stephen had founded it in recognition of his victory over Zégrard. The king often came to this abbey to see if the holiness of life of the men who had retired there corresponded to the holiness of their profession. He had a son named Emeric who, from his childhood, was a prodigy of holiness. One day he took him with him and noticed that the child, embracing the religious one after the other, gave them an unequal number of kisses. Maur received up to seven and was the only one. The intrigued king asked his son for the reason for his conduct. Emeric replied that the number of his kisses was in proportion to the holiness of each of those who had received them, and that Maur, to whom he had given seven, was of angelic purity. The king soon had new proof of this; a few days later he came to attend the office of the religious who, for the most part, when the exercise was finished, retired to take some rest; but some headed towards various corners of the church to continue praying; among this number was Saint Maur. The king, going to present himself to each of these religious, made known to them who he was and received their homage and respects, but he could not obtain a word from Saint Maur. The next day, wanting to put the latter's humility to the test, he presented himself in the middle of the assembly of religious and publicly addressed reproaches to him. Saint Maur was content to remain silent while bowing his head and did not utter a word to justify himself. Stephen, edified by this conduct, made Saint Maur his friend, and appointed him Bishop of Pécs. The acts of the pontificate of Saint Maur were lost during the wars that devastated Hungary, so that little is known of his actions. It is only known that he wrote the life of two Polish religious men massacred by idolaters, and that after the death of Stephen, the rebellious peasants drove him from his see on August 15, 1038. Later, when calm was restored, he returned to his flock, applied himself to closing the wounds that the persecution had made, and converted a large number of idolaters to the faith. He died in 1070, after having spent more than thirty years in apostolic labors, in the practice of Christian virtues, and after having received from heaven, as a reward for his holy life, the gift of miracles. Catholics did not delay in honoring him as a Saint; his cult having been preserved until the 19th century, Pius IX confirmed it on August 4, 1848.

We know all the efforts that Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, made to propagate the Christian religion in his states. The reputation of his virtues attracted religious men who came there to work for the glory of God and to second the efforts of the king. Among them was one, named Maur, who lived in the famous abbey of Saint-Martin. Stephen had founded it in recognition of his victory over Zégrard. The king often came to this abbey to see if the holiness of life of the men who had retired there corresponded to the holiness of their profession. He had a son named Emeric who, from his childhood, was a prodigy of holiness. One day he took him with him and noticed that the child, embracing the religious one after the other, gave them an unequal number of kisses. Maur received up to seven and was the only one. The intrigued king asked his son for the reason for his conduct. Emeric replied that the number of his kisses was in proportion to the holiness of each of those who had received them, and that Maur, to whom he had given seven, was of angelic purity. The king soon had new proof of this; a few days later he came to attend the office of the religious who, for the most part, when the exercise was finished, retired to take some rest; but some headed toward various corners of the church to continue praying; of this number was Saint Maur. The king, going to present himself to each of these religious, made known to them who he was and received their homage and respects, but he could not obtain a word from Saint Maur. The next day, wanting to put the humility of the latter to the test, he presented himself in the middle of the assembly of religious and publicly addressed reproaches to him. Saint Maur was content to keep silent while bowing his head and did not utter a word to justify himself. Stephen, edified by this conduct, made Saint Maur his friend, and appointed him Bishop of the Five Churches. The acts of the pontificate of Saint Maur were lost during the wars that devastated Hungary, so that little is known of his actions. It is only known that he wrote the life of two Polish religious men massacred by the idolaters, and that after the death of Stephen, the rebellious peasants drove him from his see, on August 15, 1038. Later, when calm was restored, he returned to his flock, applied himself to closing the wounds that the persecution had made, and converted a large number of idolaters to the faith. He died in 1070, after having spent more than thirty years in apostolic labors, in the practice of Christian virtues, and after having received from heaven, as a reward for his holy life, the gift of miracles. Catholics did not delay in honoring him as a Saint; his cult having been preserved until the 19th century, Pius IX confirmed it on August 4, 1848.

Various modern hagiographers.