Mauro, Saint (MAURO, SANTO) - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. VIII, p. 314

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

MAURO, saint. — Disciple of s. Benedetto; born probably at the beginning of the 6th century to a Roman named Equizio, he followed s. Benedetto (v.) at a very young age to Subiaco and Montecassino. S. Gregorio Magno (Dialog., I, II, chs. 3–7) highlights his monastic virtues; nothing else certain is known.

According to the legendary Vita, formerly attributed to his companion Fausto of Montecassino (BHL, 5772–73), M. is said to have gone to France in 543, founded there the monastery of Glanfeuil in Anjou, and died there in 584. His feast is celebrated on 15 January (Martyr. Rom., p. 22). In all probability, the abbot M. of Glanfeuil has nothing to do with the disciple of s. Benedetto.

BIBL.: Acta SS. Ianuarii, II, Parigi 1863, pp. 320–44; J. Mabillon, Acta Sanctorum Benedict., I, 2nd ed., Venezia 1733, pp. 259–87; X. Y. Z., Die Fabel von St. Maurus Anwesenheit in Gallien, in Studien und Mitteilungen aus dem Benediktiner- und dem Cistercienser- Orden, 25 (1898), pp. 108–10; B. F. Adlhoch, Les légendes hagiographiques, und die «Vita sancti Mauri per Faustum», ibid., 28 (1907), p. 101 (v. la recensione in Anal. Boll., 26 [1907], p. 342).

Emanuele Romanelli
S. M. IN FOLKLORE. – He is the protector of coppersmiths. His attributes are scales, crutches, and the hoe. His importance in popular tradition is not particularly significant.

Nevertheless, the Saint is invoked against smallpox and illnesses such as coryza and rheumatism. In northern France, at Raimbeacourt (Douai), there was a fountain of S. M. with an adjoining shrine, on whose walls sufferers from

rheumatism and leg cramps offered a garter as an ex-voto.

BIBL.: C. Ricci, Mille santi nell'arte, Milano 1931, p. 436; A. Van Gennep, Le folklore de la Flandre et du Hainaut français, II, Parigi 1936, p. 448. Paolo Toschi