Saturninus, Saint
Saturninus, Saint
Third century martyr. First bishop of Toulouse. Born in Patras; died in Toulouse, Gaul. Of noble birth, he went as bishop to Toulouse during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250). Soon he had a small church in the town, and had made numerous conversions. To reach his church, Saint Saturninus had to pass the capitol where there was a temple, and the pagan priests ascribed to his frequent passings the silence of their oracles. For this they seized him, and on his refusal to sacrifice to the idols, condemned him to be tied by the feet to a bull which dragged him about the town until the rope broke. Two Christian women gathered up his remains and buried them in a ditch. A church called the Taur (bull) was built where the bull stopped. The saint’s body is preserved in the church of Saint Sernin (Saturninus), one of the most beautiful in Southern France. Patron of Toulouse. Emblems: bull, cross, miter. Relics in the catherdral of Toulouse. Feast, Roman Calendar, 29 November.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Saturninus, Saint
St. Saturninus was, says Tillemont, one of the most illustrious martyrs France has given to the Church. We possess only his Acts, which are very old, since they were utilized by St. Gregory of Tours. He was the first bishop of Toulouse, whither he went during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250). Whether there were already Christians in the town or his preaching made numerous conversions, he soon had a little church. To reach it he had to pass before the capitol where there was a a temple, and according to the Acts, the pagan priests ascribed to his frequent passings the silence of their oracles. One day they seized him and on his unshakeable refusal to sacrifice to the idols they condemned him be tied by the feet to a bull which dragged him about the town until the rope broke. Two Christian women piously gathered up the remains and buried them in a deep ditch, that they might not be profaned by the pagans. His successors, Sts. Hilary and Exuperius, gave him more honourable burial. A church was erected where the bull stopped. It still exists, and is called the church of the Taur (the bull). The body of the saint was transferred at an early date and is still preserved in the Church of St. Sernin (or Saturninus), one of the most ancient and beautiful of Southern France. His feast was entered on the Hieronymian Martyrology for 29 November; his cult spread abroad. The account of his Acts was embellished with several details, and legends linked his name with the beginning of the churches of Eauze, Auch, Pamplona, and Amiens, but these are without historic foundations.
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RUINART, Acta Martyrum (Ratisbon, 18569), 177-80; Gregorii Turonensis opera Hist. Francorum, ed. ARNDT AND KRUSCH, I (Hanover, 1884), xxxix; TILLEMONT, Hist. ecclesiastique, III (Paris, 1701), 297; LABAN, Vie de Saint Saturnin (Toulouse, 1864); DUCHESNE, Fastes épiscopaux de l ancienne Gaule (Paris, 1894), 25, 295.
ANTOINE DEGERTTranscribed by Michael C. Tinkler
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIIICopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York