Beatus of Lungern, known also by the
honorific Apostle of Switzerland or as Beatus of Beatenberg or Beatus of Thun, was probably a legendary
monk and
hermit of early
Christianity, and is revered as a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
. Though his legend states that he died in the 2nd century, it is likely that his story has been
conflated with
other saints of the same name, especially
Beatus of Vendôme Beatus, meaning ''blessed'' in Medieval Latin, may mean:
*One who has been beatified, the stage before being declared a saint
Biblical
*The ''Commentary on the Apocalypse'', (i.e. Book of Revelation), especially in illuminated manuscript form, wri ...
, and an Abbot Beatus who received a charter in 810 from
Charlemagne to confirm that
Honau Abbey would be administered by
Irish monks.
Life
While legend claims that he was the son of a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
king,
other legends place his birth in
Ireland. Beatus was a
convert,
baptized
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
in
England by
Saint Barnabas. He was allegedly ordained a priest in
Rome by
Saint Peter the Apostle,
whereupon he was sent with a companion named Achates to evangelize the tribe of the
Helvetii
The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celts, Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their Switzerland in the Roman era, contact with the Roman Republic in the ...
. The two set up a camp in
Argovia
Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capita ...
near the
Jura Mountains
The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...
, where they converted many of the locals.
Beatus then ventured south to the mountains above
Lake Thun, taking up a hermitage in what is now known as ''St. Beatus Caves'', near the village of
Beatenberg
Beatenberg is a municipality in the Interlaken district of the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Beatenberg is first mentioned in 1275 as ''super rupes''. In 1281 it was mentioned as ''ob den fluen'' and in 1357 as ''Sant Beaten berge ...
, probably in the ninth century. Tradition states that this cave is where he fought a
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
. Saint Beatus' grave is located between the monastery and the cave entrance. He died at an old age in 112
CE.
Monastery
An Augustinian monastery was established near the mouth of the ''St. Beatus Caves''. Today, approximately one kilometer of the cave system has been opened and illuminated for tourist access; the monastery site now also houses a restaurant and gift shop for the convenience of tourists.
Veneration
Beatus is primarily remembered as the first apostle to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The cultus of Beatus was widespread in the
Middle Ages and survived even the hostility of the
Reformation period when
pilgrims were driven back from his cave at spear-point by
Zwinglian Protestants.
After this period of turmoil, Beatus' relics, and the focus of his cultus, were transferred to the chapel at
Lungern,
Obwalden
Obwalden, also Obwald (german: Kanton Obwalden, rm, Chantun Sursilvania; french: Canton d'Obwald; it, Canton Obvaldo), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of seven municipalities and the seat of the govern ...
.
The mountain where he resided until his death is still a place of pilgrimage, and bears his name: Beatenberg.
Historicity
The earliest recorded accounts of St. Beatus' life date no earlier than the 10th and mid-11th centuries and have not been historically authenticated. So, some would hesitate to endorse the tradition that calls St. Beatus the "Apostle of Switzerland". Indeed,
Saint Gall probably more justly deserves this honor.
Gallery
2011-07-22 Berna Oberlando (Foto Dietrich Michael Weidmann) 053.JPG, Grave of Saint Beatus at the entry to the Beatus Caves, Beatenberg, Switzerland
Thunersee.jpg, Lake Thun and the surrounding mountains, where legend contends that Beatus had his hermitage and fought a dragon
Beatus monastery.jpg, Monastery site from below
CH-NB - Beatushöhle, mit einer Reisegesellschaft - Collection Gugelmann - GS-GUGE-WOLF-7-25.tif, St. Beatus Caves, 1785
References
External links
Caves of St. BeatusBeatus at the Kathpedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatus Of Lungern
Converts to Christianity from pagan religions
Swiss saints
112 deaths
2nd-century Christian saints
Year of birth unknown
Helvetii