St. Saturninus of Toulouse

Biography

St. Saturninus (d. c. 250), known in France as St. Sernin, was the first bishop of Toulouse. St. Gregory of Tours, writing in the sixth century, lists him among the bishops sent from Rome to evangelize Gaul around the year 250, in the time of the Emperor Decius. The main source for his life is an account of his martyrdom written about the early fifth century. According to it, Saturninus preached in Toulouse and gathered a small Christian community. The pagan priests of the city blamed him for the silence of their oracles. One day, as he passed the temple of the Capitol, a crowd seized him and demanded that he offer sacrifice to their gods. He refused, declaring that he worshiped the one true God. The mob tied him to a bull that was being prepared for sacrifice and drove it through the streets, and he died of his injuries. Two devout women were said to have buried his body in secret. In the following century Bishop Hilary of Toulouse built a small chapel over his tomb, and later a larger church. The present Basilica of Saint-Sernin, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture and a stop for pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela, still honors his memory. A street near the basilica, the Rue du Taur, 'Street of the Bull,' recalls his martyrdom.

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