The conversion of the heathen Trevii to Christianity was, according to the legend, thus effected:—
The people of Trèves worshipped a statue of marble, from whose mouth oracles proceeded; troops of pilgrims came to Trèves to hear from this idol’s lips answers to their questions: but now a foreign priest appeared before the crowd, and with a crucifix in his hand he spoke to them of Christ the Son of God; the people, leaving their idol for the Truth, flocked to his feet, in spite of the threats of the heathen priests.
Thus Saint Eucharius converted the Trevii.
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The Moselle country was especially resorted to by hermits, who lived in recesses of the mountains; of these Saint Antony was the first.
Saint Nicolas was the patron of the bridge, and his statue stands beneath the stone crucifix which adorns it. On one occasion, a mariner, whose ship was in great danger of being cast away beneath the bridge, called on the Saint, and vowed an offering of a taper as big as his mast should he escape.
He landed in safety, but finding himself secure snapped his fingers at the Saint, saying, “Nicolas, thou wilt not have so much.” The Saint replied not.
Again this mariner’s vessel coming down the stream was in danger of the bridge; once more he cried on Nicolas, but the water checked his cry, and man and ship were lost.
There is another legend of the Moselle bridge, which we will call—