Severinus (french: Seurin, ; died 420) was an early
bishop of Bordeaux
The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...
later venerated as the
patron saint
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 perso ...
of the city on account of the miracles he reputedly worked in defence of the city. He was remembered for his strong stance against
Arianism
Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...
. His
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is October 21 in the latest ''
Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved ...
''.
[David Hugh Farmer, ed., ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'', 5 rev. ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).]
![Basilique St-Seurin, Bordeaux](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Basilique_St-Seurin%2C_Bordeaux.jpg)
The ''Roman Martyrology'' formerly identified Severinus as a
bishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...
who died at Bordeaux, leading many scholars to identify him with the independently known Saint
Severinus of Cologne, whose feast is on October 23.
[
It is now generally accepted that Severinus of Bordeaux and Severinus of Cologne are two different people.][ According to ]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 ...
, the glory of Saint Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
at the time of his death was revealed to Severinus. According to Gregory, he was engaged in fighting Arianism when he heard a voice that told him to go to Bordeaux. He was already a bishop at this time. According to the poet Venantius Fortunatus
Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; french: Venance Fortunat), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerate ...
, he was the bishop of Trier
The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.[Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...]
control in 407. At Bordeaux, the sitting bishop, Amandus
Amandus ( 584 – 679), commonly called Saint Amand, was a bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht and one of the great Christian missionaries of Flanders. He is venerated as a saint, particularly in France and Belgium.
Life
The chief source of details ...
, likewise instructed by a voice, resigned his office to Severinus,Alban Butler
Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer.
Biography
Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...
; Kathleen Jones, ed, ''Butler's Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition (December)'' (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 2000), p. 156. or possibly merely made him his successor.[
The cult devoted to him by the people of Bordeaux is testimony to the influence he exercised among his followers. The ]Basilica of Saint Severinus of Bordeaux
The Basilica of Saint Severinus (or Basilique Saint-Seurin de Bordeaux, in French) is a church built in Bordeaux at the dawn of the 11th century.
In 1998, UNESCO designated the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France as a World Heritage site, ...
is named for him.
References
{{Authority control
Date of birth unknown
420 deaths
French saints
4th-century Christian saints
5th-century Christian saints
Archbishops of Bordeaux