The Apologists · AD 130–180
Maturus of Lyon
d. 177 · Recent convert · Martyr · Lugdunum, Gaul
The Apologists
Who Maturus of Lyon was
“A noble combatant,” the letter calls him, though “a recent convert” — a neophyte who ran the whole gauntlet of the amphitheatre: the scourging, the wild beasts, the iron chair that roasted the flesh, and finally the sword. Brought out with Sanctus, Blandina, and the boy Attalus for the crowd’s festival day, he passed through “all the sufferings in order” without breaking. His pairing with the veteran deacon Sanctus shows the persecution taking the church’s newest and its most seasoned alike.
Also listed in martyrs and under marcus aurelius.
Common questions
When did Maturus die?
Maturus of Lyon is dated d. 177 in the archive, which places Maturus in the Apologists (AD 130–180).
Which early sources mention Maturus?
Maturus of Lyon is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from The churches of Lyon & Vienne and The Hieronymian compilers. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Maturus from?
The archive associates Maturus of Lyon with Lugdunum, Gaul. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Maturus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Maturus of Lyon to 3 other figures, including Sanctus of Vienne, Blandina of Lyon and Attalus of Pergamum. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Letter of the Churches of Lyons, via Eusebius V.1
c. AD 177Maturus and Sanctus passed again through the whole round of suffering in the amphitheatre, as if they had suffered nothing before… and at last they were sacrificed.The churches of Lyon & Vienne · 37 · source text
Martyrologium Hieronymianum (the Forty-Eight of Lyon, 2 June)
c. AD 450Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 112 · Pliny writes Trajan, AD 112
- AD 117 · Symeon and Ignatius martyred, AD 117
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Maturus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.