Saturnin of Toulouse

See also: Toulouse (homonymy), Holy Saturnin

Holy Saturnin of Toulouse , now known under the name of Holy Sernin , is the first Christian bishop of known Toulouse. He is celebrated on November 29th.

The name of Saturnin ( Saturninus ) underwent multiple evolutions which one finds in many toponyms and patronyms: Sadourny, Sernin, Serni, Serny, Cernin, Sernilh…

Saturnin is sent of Rome by the pope Fabien, for évangéliser Gaulle. While passing by Nimes, a disciple joint with him, Honest. Together, they go until Pampelune, to Spain. They there meet and devote the future Saint Firmin. Honest undergoes martyrdom, and Saturnin, accompanied by Hilaire, his future successor, reconsiders his steps to stop in Toulouse.

Saturnin furrows the area at ends of evangelization. In 250, allotting the silence of oracles to its frequent passages in front of the Capitole (major temple of the ancient city), of the pagan priests required of him to honor the emperor by sacrificing a bull to him. Its refusal was worth in Saturnin to be attached to the bull of the sacrifice. The historians discussed a long time to know where the Capitole at the time antique was located. It is only in 1993 thanks to the archaeological excavations of the carpark of the place Esquirol that one could determine that the temple was located at this place. The Passion of saint Saturnin, probably written at the fifth century, teaches us that it was equipped with a monumental staircase. The legend tells that the bull, taken of an insane rage, descended to any pace the steps from the Capitole, trailing behind him the bishop. Its head exploded on the steps of the temple. The bull would have joined the countryside while passing by the northern door of the city, the Porterie , then protected by ramparts. This door was located at the site of current the Place of Capitole. The bull would have given up Saturnin on the road of Cahors, the street of Taur, thus giving him the name that one knows to him today. According to a legend, the station Matabiau would be located on the site where the aforementioned bull (biau) would have been killed (matar). In fact " buòu" indicate ox in Occitan and the name of Matabiau comes from the place where one cut down oxen at the time medieval. The lifeless body of unhappy was collected by the holy Puelles , two young women. They buried it at the exact place where its body was found, in a rather deep ditch so that the pagan ones cannot profane the skin. The legend says that, beaten by crowd, holy Puelles left the city to take refuge in the small village close to Castelnaudary which bears their name, the Farmhouse-Holy-Puelles. Hilaire, bishop at the fourth century, made build a small church out of wooden, an oratory, on the tomb of the martyr. It is the site of the church of Taur which we know today. This church became soon an important place of pilgrimage. In 402, in front of the surge of faithful, the relics of the saint were transferred soon in a news Basilique, built under the episcopate of Sylve saint, and completed under that of saint Exupère, the Basilique Saint-Sernin. The Saturnin Saint is celebrated the November 29th by solemn Vêpres.

Basilica Saint-Sernin of Toulouse
Notre-Dame Church of Taur of Toulouse
Sarcophagus of Saint-Sernin in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire carved by the Main of Cabestany
Archdiocese of Toulouse

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Saturnin of Toulouse

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