Sanctus of Vienne -- Deacon and Martyr

In the year A.D. 177, in the eighth year of his rule, Bishop Soter of Rome passed away. He was succeeded by Eleutherus, twelfth from the apostles. It was also the seventeenth year in the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. At this time, a persecution against the Gallic Christians flared up. It fell heavily on the Church in Lyons and Vienne, the leading cities of Gaul, both situated on the River Rhone. The Bishop of Lyons, Pothinus, more than ninety years of age, was one of those to be martyred in the persecution. During their ordeal, the martyrs sent a letter to the Bishop of Rome whom they addressed as "Father Eleutherus." This was delivered by Irenaeus, a presbyter at Lyons, who was held "in high regard, as a man devoted to the covenant of Christ." Irenaeus later succeeded Pothinus as Bishop of Lyons. The Christians at Vienne and Lyons also sent an account of their sufferings to the churches in Asia and Phrygia, regions from which many of them had immigrated. The following information is drawn from the latter account, as recorded in the writings of the early Church historian Eusebius (A.D. 263 - 339).

Sanctus, the deacon of Vienne, was one of the heroic Gallic martyrs. He exhibited magnificent courage and nobly withstood the entire range of human cruelty. His tormentors hoped that the persistence and severity of his tortures would force him to utter something improper. Yet, Sanctus was so determined to stand up to their onslaughts that he would not even tell them his own name, race, and birthplace, or whether he was a slave or free. To every question, he replied in Latin: "I am a Christian." This he proclaimed over and over again and not another word did they hear from him. Consequently, the Governor and his torturers strained every nerve against him, so that when they could think of nothing else to do to him they ended by pressing red-hot copper plates against the most sensitive parts of his body. These were burning, but Sanctus remained unbending and unyielding, firm in his confession of faith, fortified by the heavenly fountain of the water of life that flows from the depths of Christ’s being. But his poor body was a witness to what he had suffered—it was all one wound and bruise, bent up and robbed of outward human shape, but, suffering in that body Christ accomplished most glorious things, utterly defeating the adversary.

A few days later, people again put the martyr on the rack, thinking that now that his whole body was swollen and inflamed, a further application of the same instruments would defeat him, unable as he was to bear even the touch of a hand. If this failed and he died, they hoped it would put fear into the rest. However, nothing of the sort happened. To their amazement, his body became erect and straight as a result of these new torments, and recovered its former appearance and the use of the limbs. Thus, through the grace of Christ, his second spell on the rack proved to be not punishment but cure.

Sometime later, Sanctus, Maturus (only recently baptized) and two other companions were taken into the amphitheatre to face the wild beasts, an entertainment purposely arranged for the crowds. There, before the eyes of all, Maturus and Sanctus were again taken through the whole series of punishments, as if they had suffered nothing at all before. Again they ran the gauntlet of whips, in accordance with local custom. They were mauled by the beasts and endured every torment that the frenzied mob on one side or the other demanded and howled for. This culminated in the iron chair which roasted their flesh and suffocated them with the reek. Not even then were their tormentors satisfied. They grew more and more frenzied in their desire to overwhelm the resistance of the martyrs, but do what they might, they heard nothing from Sanctus beyond the words he had repeated from the beginning—the declaration of his faith. Despite their prolonged and terrible ordeal, life still lingered; but in the end they were sacrificed, after being made all day long a spectacle to the world.

Finally, after six days exposure to every kind of insult, the martyrs bodies were burnt to ashes and swept into the Rhone, that not even a trace of them might be seen on the earth again. This was done, "in order," they said, "that they may have no hope of resurrection—the belief that has led them to bring into this country a new foreign cult and treat torture with contempt, going willingly and cheerfully to their death. Now let’s see if they’ll rise again, and if their god can help them and save them from our hands."

Reference. "The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine" by Eusebius; translated with an introduction by G. A. Williamson. Dorset Press, New York, 1984 [1965].

[© Michael Closs, April 2, 1992]