Saturnin of Toulouse (, , , , and , , and ) was one of the "Apostles to the Gauls" sent out (probably under the direction of Pope Fabian, 236–250) during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250–251) to Christianise Gaul after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian communities. Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatien to Tours, Trophimus to Arles, Paul to Narbonne, Saturnin to Toulouse, Denis to Paris, Austromoine to Clermont, and Martial to Limoges. His feast day is 29 November.

Background

Saturnin is styled the first Bishop of Tolosa (Toulouse). The lost Acts of Saturninus were employed as historical sources by the chronicler Gregory of Tours. The martyrology gave a genealogy for Saturnin: the son of Aegeus, King of Achaea, by his wife Cassandra, who, herself, was the daughter of Ptolemy, King of the Ninevites. The Acts placed Saturninus in the 1st century, made him one of the 72 disciples of Christ, placed him at the Last Supper. Legends associated with Saturninus state that after Peter consecrated him a bishop, "he was given for his companion Papulus, later to become Saint Papulus the Martyr." Legend states that besides Papulus, Saturninus also had Honestus as a disciple.

The detail from the Acts that is selected for remembering today describes his martyrdom: to reach the Christian church Saturninus had to pass before the capitol (not to be confused with the present Capitole de Toulouse whose site was founded in the 12th century, the Roman Capitol of the city was towards the present Place Esquirol), where there was an altar, and according to the Acts, the pagan priests ascribed the silence of their oracles to the frequent presence of Saturninus. One day they seized him and on his unshakeable refusal to sacrifice to the images they condemned him to be tied by the feet to a bull which dragged him about the town until the rope broke.

Places named after him

thumb|Tomb of St. Saturnin in the [[Basilica of St. Sernin, Toulouse, France]]

  • numerous places in France named Saint-Saturnin
  • numerous places in France named Saint-Sernin
  • Burgo de San Cernín, Navarre, Spain. It was the Languedocian borough of Pamplona.
  • In Catalonia, Spain.
  • Sant Sadurní d'Anoia
  • Sant Sadurní d'Osormort
  • Sant Sadurní de l'Heura
  • In Asturias, Spain.
  • San Saturnino
  • In Portugal
  • São Saturnino, Fronteira
  • In Wales
  • Llansadwrn, Anglesey

See also

  • Saint Saturnin, patron saint archive

References

Relevant literature

  • Oškerová, Martina. 2014. "Zdeněk Jirotka: Saturnin Analysis of English translation by Mark Corner." Thesis, Masaryk University.
  • Sehnalová, Kamila. 2013. "Comparative Analysis of Czech, English and German Proverbs in Jirotka's Saturnin." Thesis, Charles University.
  • The Golden Legend: The Life of Saint Saturnine

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