Severus of Vienne

Saint

Severus of Vienne
BornIndia
Diedc. 455 A.D.
Italy
Feast8 August
AttributesHolding a devil in a chain
PatronageVienne, Saint-Sève

Severus of Vienne (died c. 455) was a priest who evangelised in Vienne, France. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church as well as in other denominations. Severus was reportedly Indian by birth and of wealthy origins. His entry in the Roman Martyrology reads:

"At Vienne, in France, St. Severus, priest and confessor, who undertook a painful journey from India in order to preach the Gospel in that city, and converted a great number of Pagans to the faith of Christ by his labors and miracles."

The Roman Martyrology (1916), p. 237

Severus settled in Vienne around 430. He founded a church in honour of Saint Alban (now the church of Saint-Alban-du-Rhône) near Vienne. He died in Italy, but his body was brought back to Vienne and buried in the church dedicated to the protomartyr Saint Stephen, which he himself had constructed.