Saint Latuinus (''Latrium, Lain, Latuin'') is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

by the Roman Catholic Church. He is considered to have been the first

bishop of Sées A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, during the 5th century, from 400 to 440 AD. According to the '' Catholic Encyclopedia'', "

Louis Duchesne Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (; 13 September 1843 – 21 April 1922) was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions. Life Descended from a family of Breton sailors, ...

believed that for the period anterior to 900 no reliance can be placed on the episcopal catalogue of Séez, which we know by certain compilations of the sixth century."Catholic Encyclopedia: Seez
/ref> A later tradition makes him a 1st-century bishop and missionary sent to Sées by

Pope Clement I Pope Clement I ( la, Clemens Romanus; Greek: grc, Κλήμης Ῥώμης, Klēmēs Rōmēs) ( – 99 AD) was bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is listed by Irenaeus and Tertullian as the bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 AD t ...

. This had the intent of making the diocese of Sées have an older tradition than it actually had. According to another

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 ...

tradition, he was sent to the region by

Boniface I Pope Boniface I ( la, Bonifatius I) was the bishop of Rome from 28 December 418 to his death on 4 September 422. His election was disputed by the supporters of Eulalius until the dispute was settled by Emperor Honorius. Boniface was active in ma ...

. Another local tradition states that Latuinus built an oratory on the site of the current Chapelle Saint-Latuin, in the diocese of Sées, towards the end of the 4th century.

Veneration

According to one source, the devotion to Latuinus remains strong in the diocese of Sées, as evidenced by an annual pilgrimage to the Chapelle.

Notes

External links

Diocèse de Séez
at the Catholic Encyclopedia {{authority control 5th-century Christian saints Bishops of Sées Gallo-Roman saints