Saint Junian (french: Saint Junien) was a 5th-century

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

at the location later named after him,

Saint-Junien Saint-Junien (; oc, Sent Junian) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region in west-central France. Its sister city is Jumet, Belgium. History The h ...

. According to tradition, he was the son of the Count of Cambrai and was born in 486, during the reign of

Clovis I Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single kin ...

. This tradition states that Junian and Saint Leonard were baptized at the same time. At the age of 15, Junian journeyed to the

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

, a region that had a reputation for austerity and also for the many saints and hermits who had resided there. One of these saints was a certain Amand, and Junian wished to become his disciple. Amand lived in a small hermitage at the confluence of the

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Clain The Clain (; oc, Clen, link=yes) is a long river in western France, a left tributary of the river Vienne. Its source is near Hiesse, Charente. The Clain flows generally north, through the following departments and towns: *Charente * Vienne: ...

Rivers, at a place called ''Comodoliac'', which had been offered to him by

Ruricius Ruricius I (c. 440c. 510) was a Gallo-Roman aristocrat and bishop of Limoges from c. 485 to 510. He is one of the writers whose letters survive from late Roman Gaul, depicting the influence of the Visigoths on the Roman lifestyle. He should not ...

bishop of Limoges The Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the '' départments'' of Haute-Vienne and Cr ...

. According to tradition, is said that, very late at night, Junian knocked on the door of Amand, who did not answer, fearing that it was a demon. Junian had to sleep outside during a violent snowstorm, but the snow miraculously fell around rather than on him during the night. Junian trained with Amand, and after the passing of his master, Junian lived where the collegiate church stands nowadays.

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St. Junian
Hermits 486 births 6th-century Frankish saints 6th-century deaths {{saint-stub