Severus_of_Vienne
Severus of Vienne
Indian-born French saint
Severus of Vienne (died c. 455) was a priest who evangelised in Vienne, France. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church[2][3] as well as in other denominations.[4][Note 1] Severus is said to have been Indian by birth[5] and of wealthy origins. His entry in the Roman Martyrology reads:[6]
"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.[7] He founded a church in honour of Saint Alban (now the church of Saint-Alban-du-Rhône) near Vienne.[8] 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.[9]