The Apologists · AD 130–180
Sanctus of Vienne
d. 177 · Deacon of Vienne · Martyr · Vienne, Gaul
The Apologists
Who Sanctus of Vienne was
A deacon of Vienne whose endurance under torture became the emblem of the whole persecution: to every question — his name, his city, his race, his status — he answered only, in Latin, “Christianus sum,” I am a Christian. The torturers pressed red-hot plates of brass to the tenderest parts of his body until he was “one continuous wound,” yet he stood erect, “bedewed and strengthened by the heavenly fountain of the water of life.” When they tortured him again days later, the swollen body unexpectedly recovered its form — a marvel the letter records with awe.
Also listed in martyrs and under marcus aurelius.
Common questions
When did Sanctus die?
Sanctus of Vienne is dated d. 177 in the archive, which places Sanctus in the Apologists (AD 130–180).
Which early sources mention Sanctus?
Sanctus of Vienne 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 Sanctus from?
The archive associates Sanctus of Vienne with Vienne, Gaul. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Sanctus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Sanctus of Vienne to 4 other figures, including Pothinus of Lyon, Blandina of Lyon, Maturus of Lyon and Vettius Epagathus. 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 177…he collected within himself the whole confession, and to all their questions he answered in the Roman tongue, ‘I am a Christian.’ This he confessed instead of name and city and race and everything besides.The churches of Lyon & Vienne · 20 · 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 Sanctus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.