Saints Savinian and Potentian (french: Savinien et Potenti(e)n) (d. 390) are

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

s commemorated as the

patron saints A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person. I ...

and founders of the

diocese of Sens The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sens and Auxerre (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Senonensis et Antissiodorensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Sens et Auxerre'') is a Latin Rite Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The Archdiocese comp ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Savinian should not be confused with another early French martyr,

Sabinian of Troyes Saint Sabinian of Troyes (died 275) was a pagan who converted to Christianity (tradition states that he was converted by Patroclus of Troyes), and became a martyr under Aurelian. He was beheaded at Rilly-Sainte-Syre near Troyes. His feast day is ...

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...

does not mention them,Catholic Encyclopedia: Sens
/ref> nor does the ''

Hieronymian Martyrology The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' (meaning "martyrology of Jerome") or ''Martyrologium sancti Hieronymi'' (meaning "martyrology of Saint Jerome") is an ancient martyrology or list of Christian martyrs in calendar order, one of the most used a ...

'', which was revised before 600 at

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give a Ro ...

. One source states that "it is considered likely that Sabinian and Potentian were bishops of Sens, with Potentian succeeding Sabinian." On the other hand, one source calls only Sabinian a bishop;Dominican Martyrology: December
/ref> and also states that they had been sent to Sens "by the

Roman Pontiff Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

to preach the Gospel, and they rendered illustrious that city by the martyrdom following their confession of faith." Later traditions made them earlier saints as disciples of

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

.Dom Basile Fleureau: De la Prédication de l'Evangile à Estampes (1668)
/ref> A tradition states that they initially preached at Ferrières in the

Gâtinais Gâtinais () or Gâtine () was a province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the département of Loiret, and the south of the present department of Seine-et-Marne. Unde ...

before preaching at Sens.Diocèse catholique de Sens-Auxerre - Saints Savinien et Potentien
/ref> Another states that Savinian was killed with an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many for ...

at the spot now occupied by the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

of the church at Sens dedicated to the two saints.

Veneration

There is a church dedicated to the two saints at Sens. It is said to have been founded by the saints in the third century, rebuilt in the fifth, and restored in the eleventh.Augustus John Cuthbert Hare, ''South-eastern France'' (G. Allen, 1890), 13. One source writes that "the altar f this churchis affirmed to be that upon which Saint Savinien was celebrating at the moment of his martyrdom." At

Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

, a

stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

(number 17) depicts the two saints. They are mentioned in the work of the medieval poet

Adam of St. Victor Adam of Saint Victor (; died 1146) was a prolific poet and composer of Latin hymns and sequences. He has been called "...the most illustrious exponent of the revival of liturgical poetry which the twelfth century affords." Life Adam of Saint Victor ...

: :Let us lift God's high laudation, :We, who joyous commendation :To His saints now loudly give; :To Savinian, widely noted, :And Potentian, God-devoted, :Both of whom did

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

receive!L. Gautier, Digby Strangeways Wrangham (ed.), ''The Liturgical Poetry of Adam of St. Victor'' (Kegan Paul, Trench & co., 1881), 37.

References

External links

Saints Savinien et Potentien
{{authority control Bishops of Sens 4th-century bishops in Gaul 390 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown