Agaunum

About

Agaunum was an outpost in Roman Switzerland, predecessor of the modern city of Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais, southwestern Switzerland. It was used by the Roman Empire for the collection of the Quadragesima Galliarum. In Christian tradition, Agaunum is known as the place of martyrdom of the Theban Legion.

Etymology: The word Agaunum derives from Gaulish acaunum, meaning "saxum, stone, whetstone". The word acauna also appears in compound nouns relating to "stone", for instance, as related by Pliny. Ultimately, the word stems from the Proto-Indo-European root *h2ekmōn, meaning "stone" in several of the daughter languages. The name is also attested as a deity called Acauno or Acaunus, leading scholars to argue that in this location there was a probable cult to a river deity. The name Agaunum is probably at the origin of French toponym Agonès, a commune in southern France.

Agaunum is noted for the fact that the monks at the monastery of Agaunum performed perpetual prayers since its formation in 522 by King Sigismund. Near Agaunum, in a place still identifiable as a former temple to Mercury, god of travellers, recently excavated behind the...