Basilica of Saint Mathurin

The Basilica of Saint-Mathurin de Larchant is a Catholic church located in Larchant (Seine-et-Marne), France. Although the church is commonly referred to as a basilica, it has not been designated as such by the pope and is therefore not a basilica under church rules for attributing such status. The basilica was an important pilgrimage destination during the Middle Ages. It served as the center of the cult of Saint Mathurin and attracted, in particular, pilgrims seeking cures for madness or exorcism for the possessed. The building was classified as a historical monument in 1846. The church is dedicated to Saint Mathurin. A 10th-century manuscript provides an account of his life. According to his legend, he was born in Larchant at the end of the 3rd century to pagan parents. Mathurin had been initiated into the Catholic faith by Bishop Polycarp. He was ordained a priest at the age of twenty. At the time, Rome was stricken with various evils and the step-daughter of Emperor Maximian Hercules was tormented by a demon, who demanded that the Emperor bring from Gaul a holy man named Mathurin in order to perform an exorcism. The Emperor sent men to find Mathurin and to bring him to Rome., While in Rome, Mathurin is said to have cured the sick and exorcised the devil who had been tormenting the emperor's step-daughter, Theodora. He remained in Rome for three years, performing many miracles. He died there on the Calends of November (November 1). Acceding to Mathurin’s request that his body be returned to his native village, the Emperor provided an escort to bring back Mathurin's body to Larchant. On his tomb, many miracles are said to have occurred and these were at the origin of a very important pilgrimage to Larchant in the Middle Ages.

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