On the History of the Church of St. Valentine in Mais

Appendix.

History and Art.

The Church of St. Valentine in Mais, and the Puellachers. 1/4

I.

Everything that the meritorious historical researcher Anton Roschmann, and the father of patriotic church history, Resch, and later also the industrious Fr. Roger Schranzhofer, published in print on the life and burial of St. Valentine, we find collected as if in an abstract, and critically treated by the professor in Landshut known for his extremely rigorous criticism, Mr. Winter, in his preliminary studies toward elucidating Bavarian-Austrian church history in the Agilolfing period, Vol. II, Munich 1809, pp. 259—281. 1) The sources of this history are: a) The biography of Severinus by Eugippius from the fifth century; b) the poem of Venantius Fortunatus from the sixth; c) the biography of St. Corbinian by Aribo from the eighth century; d) the lead scroll which was plausibly already enclosed with Valentine's bones in the fifth century, discovered upon their elevation in the twelfth century, and whose content was recorded by the contemporary anonymous of Passau. From these it emerges:

The holy abbot and bishop of both Raetias, Valentine, one of our first regional apostles, 2) began his apostolic career in Passau. The doctrine of the triune God which he proclaimed found no reception among the remnants of the pagans and among the Arian Christians. Twice the zealous preacher of faith made a pilgrimage to Rome to receive the regular mission and blessing, so as to be able to work with greater strength from Above. The second time Pope Leo the Great (between 440 and 461) consecrated him bishop, with the mandate: "Let him try once more in Passau, then he may turn to a people more receptive to the doctrine of the Cross." This time the inhabitants of Passau expelled him altogether from their walls. He then wandered through the Raetian Alps. There, the evangelical seed he sowed brought forth a hundredfold fruit. The idols still hidden in secret corners were utterly shattered, and the sign of the only true salvation through Jesus, the holy Cross, was erected everywhere. Valentine spent his final days in Mais, where he fell asleep in the Lord the day after the Epiphany, around the year 470, in the presence of his pupil, the priest and later abbot Lucillus. His earthly remains found their resting place in the small church in Mais built by him and consecrated to St. Stephen.

This was already renowned by the middle of the sixth century, when Venantius Fortunatus, an Italian by birth and later Bishop of Poitiers in France, visited it.

In the year 723 the French bishop Corbinian, who subsequently became the first Bishop of Freising, arrived in Mais on his return journey from Rome. By order of the Bavarian Duke Grimoald he was detained here until he resolved to come to his court camp at Freising. Meanwhile, he lingered with great devotion at Valentine's tomb. This and the beautiful location of Mais and its surroundings, which at the time were still solitary and partly uncultivated, completely captivated Corbinian. He purchased plots of land in neighboring Kamina (Kuens or Kains) between the Timone (Vallmaunbach) and Finale (Finelebach) streams, cultivated them, and built a small church and a dwelling there. 3) He frequently returned here from Freising. In accordance with his last will, his body too, though only thirty days after his death on 8 September 730 in Freising, was brought here and interred at the tomb of St. Valentine.

1) See also Muchar, Das römische Norikum, Part 2, Grätz 1826, pp. 142—147.

2) The memory of this saint is celebrated in the dioceses of Passau, Freising, and Vienna on 7 January with breviary and mass. In the Proper of Chur of 1646 it was moved to 23 January, in the newer one of 1773 to 12 February. In the church districts of Trent and Brixen his feast was hitherto celebrated only in individual churches dedicated to this saint. In the Roman Martyrology and in Goldhagen (Lives of the Saints) one reads his name — for an unknown reason on this day — on 29 October.

3) The patronage right of the parish of Kuens with an urbarium originally belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Freising. The latter subsequently ceded it to the collegiate chapter of St. Andrew there. It remained with it until the secularization in the year 1803.

(To be continued.)