SATURNINUS OF TOULOUSE

Saint Saturninus (+c.250) was the first bishop of the French city of Toulouse and the second chronologically mentioned bishop of Gaul after Irenaeus of Lyons (130–202). Saturninus, whose name indicates his pagan origins in Carthaginian Roman Africa, was a missionary and preacher. Christianity in the vicinity of Toulouse had not yet spread and existed in the form of very small communities. Apparently, Saturninus was a wandering bishop.

Preaching Christianity in various villages, Saint Saturninus, according to ancient apostolic practice, mocked ridiculous pagan cults and boldly cast out demons. One day he witnessed a ceremony during which the pagans tried to listen to the voice of the gods in order to find out their will. But this time, due to the presence of the saint, the idols were silent. Suddenly there was a cry that they would speak again as soon as the Christian bishop who was nearby was executed.

They tried to force the saint to perform a pagan sacrifice, but having received a refusal, the pagan priests tied him to a mad bull, which killed the saint. His body was picked up by two pious Christian women and buried along the road to Cahors north of the city.

It is paradoxical that, due to the extremely small number of Galician Christians, the persecution of Christians in the Empire launched at the same time by Decius (249–251) did not have any visible consequences in the south of France. Therefore, Saint Saturninus suffered, as if privately, not because of the decree of the authorities, but from the spontaneous, insane anger of the pagan crowd, which makes his example of his testimony unusually modern and timely.