Saint Evermarus

According to legend, Saint Evermarus was a Frisian nobleman who, toward the end of the 7th century, made a pilgrimage with seven companions to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, then a major center for Christian pilgrimages. On their return journey, they were attacked and murdered near Herstappe (Rutten), close to Tongeren, Belgium, by the bandit gang of Hacoo. Legend holds that Pepin of Herstal discovered the bodies during a hunting trip and had them buried. Evermarus was canonized in 968, and his remains were transferred to St. Martin's Church in Rutten, Belgium. In the 11th century, a chapel was erected at the site where the murdered saint was found. From the 13th century, St. Martin's Church and the Evermarus Chapel in Rutten belonged to the Imperial Abbey of Burtscheid near Aachen. When Rutten became embroiled in military conflicts toward the end of the 15th century, the relics were moved to the safety of the patron abbey in Burtscheid. Once the danger to Rutten had passed, the reliquary containing the saint's remains was returned to Rutten. However, the skullcap, enclosed in a separate reliquary, remained in Burtscheid. This reliquary is now part of the abbey treasury of St. John in Aachen-Burtscheid. On October 10, 1480, Bishop Aegidius of Tournai documented the transfer of the head and other relics to the Abbey of Burtscheid. There are no records regarding the return of a portion of these relics to Rutten. The skullcap was placed in a bust reliquary in 1707. Originally, a glass plate likely allowed the relic to be viewed, but this was later replaced by a silver cap that can be opened. The Burtscheid abbey treasury, containing valuable artifacts from the abbey's history since 997, is open to the public at regular intervals. Every year on May 1, the feast day of Saint Evermarus, a mystery play is performed at the chapel in Rutten. In this so-called Evermarus Play, lay actors reenact the events surrounding the murder of Saint Evermarus and his companions.