Silvanus (or ''Sylvanus''; french: Silvain, Sauvan, Salvan, Souvain) of Ahun is venerated as a

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 ...

and

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 ...

. According to the tradition, Silvanus was a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

who was killed by

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal Kingdom, Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The ...

at the battle of ''Agedunum'' or ''Acitodunum'' (

Ahun Ahun (; oc, Aiun) is a Communes of France, commune in the Creuse Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography A farming area comprising the village and several hamlets situated in the valley o ...

) on 16 October 407.

Veneration

The antiquity of his cult is based on the fact that there was an ancient tomb said to carry his relics; the tomb rests in the crypt of the 12th-century church of Saint-Silvain d’Ahun. In a wood panel dating from 1639, he is depicted dressed in a

dalmatic The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other se ...

, bearing a book and a palm. The following places carry Silvanus' name : *

Saint-Silvain-Bas-le-Roc Saint-Silvain-Bas-le-Roc (; Auvergnat: ''Sent Silvan'') is a commune in the Creuse department in central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of o ...

Saint-Silvain-Bellegarde Saint-Silvain-Bellegarde (; oc, Sent Sauve de Bèlagarda) is a commune in the Creuse department in central France. Geography The river Tardes Tardes (; oc, Tardas) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in ...

Saint-Silvain-Montaigut Saint-Silvain-Montaigut (; Limousin: ''Sant Sauve Mont Agut'') is a commune in the Creuse department in central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprise ...

Saint-Silvain-sous-Toulx Saint-Silvain-sous-Toulx (, literally ''Saint-Silvain under Toulx''; Auvergnat: ''Sant Sauve de Tol'') is a commune in the Creuse department in central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily lo ...

References

407 deaths Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown 5th-century Christian martyrs {{France-saint-stub