Felix and Regula in Zurich
Legend has it that some members of the Theban Legion, which also included women as was usual at that time, were able to escape the massacre of St Maurice (Agaunum) thanks to a timely warning. They included the legionnaire Felix and his sister Regula. They fled in an easterly direction and reached Turicum, present day Zurich, but it was a case of going from bad to worse. Christianity was also a forbidden religion on the Limmat; Felix and Regula were beheaded and their martyrdom laid the foundation for Zurich becoming Christian.
The stone on which Felix and Regula are purported to have been beheaded can be seen today in the Wasserkirche (Water Church). It is said that the two martyrs walked a few steps with their heads in their hands before falling to the ground dead. Today’s Grossmünster (Great Minster) was later built on this site.
Felix and Regula are the patron saints of Zurich.
Worth a visit:
In search of Felix and Regula