Saint Savinian and Saint Potentian

It was around the year of grace 45, the second year of the establishment of the sovereign pontificate in Rome. Savinien obeyed this order immediately, and having crossed the Alps and several provinces, he arrived at the village of Ferrières, in the Gâtinais, below Montargis. There he had a heavenly vision, on the day of the Nativity of Our Lord, where this holy mystery was represented to him as if it were still taking place in Bethlehem. Having converted a portion of the people, he erected a chapel under the title of Our Lady of Bethlehem, which has since been changed into a beautiful church and has become a place of great devotion. To cultivate these happy beginnings, he left Saint Altin ther Sens Archiepiscopal see occupied by Saint Aldric. e and continued his journey to Sens. It is said that upon arriving there, he walked all around the walls and engraved everywhere, with his finger, more powerful than chisel or burin, the salutary sign of the cross, which was recognized there several centuries later. He received hospital Victorin Lord of Sens converted by Savinian. ity outside the city, at the home of a nobleman named Victorin. The latter received him and treated him very honestly, along with his entire company, and as he knew he came from Rome, he did not fail to ask him what was happening in that great city, mistress of the world. Savinien took advantage of this opportunity to teach him of the happy change taking place there in religion, through the ruin of idolatry and the establishment of the Christian Church. Victorin took a liking to this account, and seeing that the morals of his guests corresponded perfectly well to the purity of their doctrine, he was ashamed of having adored the creature instead of the Creator, and asked to be purified by the waters of baptism. Sérotin, a gentleman among his neighbors, and Edoald, a very eloquent person, wished to share in the same grace; they were, in fact, baptized with their entire families. Then the holy Prelate, recognizing the merit of Sérotin and Edoald, his new disciples, ordained them deacons to assist him in the sacred functions of his priesthood. Altin then arrived, laden with the merit of several conquests he had made in the Gâtinais. Meanwhile, many came out of the city of Sens to see these new preachers; and as they joined miraculous healings to the power of their words, they soon won over to Jesus Christ a good number of the city's inhabitants, and even the entire village where they resided, which Jacques Taveau, in his History of the Bishops of Sens, calls Le Vif. This gave our Saint the boldness to change its temple into a church, to assemble the faithful there, so that what had served for the invocation of the demon would serve thereafter for the true and religious worship of one God subsisting in three persons.

After such happy successes, he entered the city of Sens and preached the faith of Jesus Christ there. Grace accompanied his preaching; he was listened to, the truths he taught were savored, and many, opening their eyes to the lights of the Gospel, wished to enter the Church through the sacrament of spiritual regeneration. Saint Savinien erected three oratories or chapels to assemble the neophytes and celebrate the holy Mysteries there: one in honor of Our Lady, another under the name of Saint John the Baptist, and the third consecrated to Saint Stephen, the first martyr. The latter, having been enlarged, became the cathedral and now encloses the other two. It was right to inform the Vicar of Jesus Christ of this happy propagation of the faith, in order to encourage him to send new laborers into the Gauls. Potentien took charge of this mission and returned to Rome for this purpose, where the Apostles gave him an excellent welcome and offered him warm congratulations. His journey, however, was not long; he returned to Sens as soon as possible in order to continue the conquest of this entire country for Jesus Christ. It wa s then that saint Pierre Apostle and first pope, mentioned as the father of Petronilla. Saint Peter endured martyrdom and went to receive in heaven the reward for his labors and his love. He appeared to Saint Savinien, informed him of his execution and the great happiness it had earned him, and exhorted him to follow in his footsteps until death. Our Saint dedicated a church outside the city in his honor, whic h was called Saint- Saint-Pierre-le-Vif Monastery in Sens housing the relics of saints. Pierre-le-Vif, not, as some have believed, because Saint Peter was still alive when it was dedicated, but because it was in the village we have already mentioned, which was called le Vif. Perhaps it was this very temple of the false gods that we have just said had been changed into a church.

As the Apostle had exhorted the blessed bishop to extend his conquests to the other cities of Gaul, he distributed his companions to go here and there to preach the Gospel. We find this distribution reported differently by authors. Du Saussay, in his martyrology, says that Saint Potentien went to Orléans, Chartres, Paris, and Troyes, and that he made wonderful and countless conversions everywhere; that at Orléans, he ordained Saint Altin as the first bish op; that at saint Altin Companion of Savinian, Bishop of Orléans. Chartres, he dedicated an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and committed the charge of the new faithful to Saint Adventin; that at Paris, he attracted many idolaters to the faith of Jesus Christ, and that Saint Edoald, a deacon, whom he left there to confirm them in the faith, converted Saint Agoard and Saint Aglibert, who were later martyred at Créteil, with an infinity of other neophytes; that finally he went to Troyes, with Saint Sérotin, where he raised a small oratory which he dedicated to our Savior, under the name and invocation of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and which is today the chapel of the Sacred Heart, at the cathedral. Others do not speak at all of all these journeys of Saint Potentien; but they only say that Saint Altin with Saint Edoald went to Orléans, and Saint Potentien with Saint Sérotin, to Troyes. What is incontestable is that the Church of Troyes recognizes Saint Potentien as its first bishop, and that that of Orléans honors Saint Altin as its apostle and the most ancient of its prelates.

All these glorious missionaries worked with tireless zeal to ruin idolatry and to raise, upon its ruins, the religion of the true God; but, when they were most zealously engaged in this great ministry, they were driven from the places of their conquests, after many insults and torments, by those who commanded there for the emperor. Thus, they were all forced to go to Saint Savinian, to make new resolutions with him. But God brought them there to receive the palm of a glorious martyrdom.

Severus or Severinus, a Gallic lord who held a prefecture in Sens under the authority of the Romans, had Savinian and Victorinus seized as guilty of impiety towards the god Savinien Brother of Saint Sabina, martyr at Troyes. s; then, seeing them constant in the faith and in the confession of Jesus Christ, he sent them, laden with blows and chains, to prison. Our Lord honored them there with His visit, and having healed them of their wounds, He encouraged them to suffer death generously for His service. A few days later, the priests of the idols not ceasing to cry out against them in the ears of this wicked judge, he had them appear again before his tribunal and condemned them to death. Savinian obtained, before his execution, permission to go and embrace his disciples and offer his prayer in one of his oratories; it was that of Saint-Sauveur, which he had had built in a suburb. He celebrated the holy mysteries there and gave an exhortation to the assembly; but his zeal detaining him longer than the executioner intended, this cruel executioner entered the oratory itself, and dealt him two blows of an axe to the head, as is still noted in his skull, which is kept preciously in his church of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif. Victorinus and a young boy, who is believed to have been his son, had their heads cut off at the same time.

The other companions of Saint Savinian survived him for some time, Divine Providence hiding them from the tyrant's pursuits, so that they might further strengthen the new faithful in the resolve to die for Jesus Christ. It is probable that, if Saint Poten tian held the e saint Potentien Companion of Savinian, bishop of Troyes and second bishop of Sens. piscopal character, as is recognized at Troyes and throughout the rest of that diocese, he then performed those functions in the Church of Sens, afflicted by the death of its prelate. Thus, he is marked in the breviaries and calendars of that Church as its second bishop, and the authors who have given us the lists and acts of the prelates who governed this metropolitan Church have not failed to mark him as the successor of Saint Savinian, although others recognize him only as a martyr. But his prelacy did not last long; for, at the end of the year, he was taken with Saint Altin, Saint Serotin, and Saint Edoald or Eodald; and after the torments of the whip, the scourges, the rack, iron blades, and other similar things, they all had their heads cut off.

## CULT AND RELICS.

The body of Saint Savinien was buried at the very place of his martyrdom, which changed its name for this reason, and became the church of Saint-Savinien. As for the others, after having been exposed to the beasts for some time without being harmed by them, they were buried near this blessed primate. The relics of Saint Potentien were raised from the ground and placed in a more suitable location, first by Hugues, Bishop of Sens, and later by Pierre, one of his successors. It was not until 847 that Archbishop Wénillon, to satisfy the pious desires of the Abbess of Jouarre, his sister, gave her for her community the greater part of the relics of Saint Potentien, which were enclosed in a vermeil reliquary, enriched with precious stones. It is probable that it was at the same time that the cathedral church of Troyes received, as the most precious gift, one of the ribs of Saint Savinien and Saint Potentien, and the collegiate church of Saint-Étienne, in the same city, a considerable part of the body of Saint Allin, except for his fingers which were sent to Orléans, and some other parcels which were distributed to various churches.

As for the relics of our two Saints, which Archbishop Wénillon kept for himself, he transported them to the church of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif, and placed them in leaden chests, for lack of a more precious material. For fear of the Normans, they were hidden a few years later in cellars, from where they were not removed until 1001. A new translation took place in 1006, and i n 1026, Queen Cons la reine Constance Queen of France, wife of Robert the Pious, benefactress of the cult. tance, wife of the King of France, Robert the Pious, had them placed in a silver reliquary enriched with gold and precious stones and adorned with figures in relief. It was a testimony of her gratitude for a signal favor obtained through the intercession of Saint Savinien. This translation took place on October 19, the day that the churches of Sens and Paris have chosen to celebrate the feast of these holy martyrs.

The cathedral of Nevers possesses a fairly considerable portion of the relics of Saint Savinien and Saint Potentien; a large number of altars in this diocese contain parcels of them in their tomb.

The relics of Saint Séroth were also divided among several churches. The parish of Longpont, near Paris, still possesses a considerable portion of them. The church of Les Croutes, in the diocese of Troyes, possesses today a bone of Saint Potentien.

From the year 1150 to the year 1683, Saint Potentien and Saint Savinien had an office with nine lessons on October 19 in the breviaries of Troyes, with a commemoration on December 31. From 1683 to 1846, this office became semi-double. The Holy See has recently granted the dioceses of Sens and Troyes the office of Saint Savinien and Saint Potentien.

Father Giry completed with the *Vies des Saints du diocèse de Troyes*, by M. Labbé Dafet; the *Hagiologie Nivernaire*, by Mgr Crosnier; the *France pontificale*, by Fisquet.