Saint Valerianus of Tournus

Valerian of Tournus is a martyr and saint of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Commemorated on September 15, he is said to be one of the earliest martyrs in Christian history. Almost nothing is known about this figure, as his biographical details remain unreliable. The only credible sources are, on one hand, Gregory of Tours' *De Gloria Martyrum*, which reports the existence of a dilapidated oratory dedicated to Valerian in Tournus in the 6th century, and on the other, the *Chronicle of Tournus*, written before 1087 by the monk Falcon at the request of Abbot Peter. Other, more questionable sources exist. According to these, Valerian left Palestine in the 2nd century to evangelize Gaul and was imprisoned in Lugdunum (Lyon). After escaping from prison, he arrived in Trinorchium (Tournus), where he converted many inhabitants. Hagiography further reports that news of Valerian reached Priscus, governor of Chalon-sur-Saône, who ordered his arrest and torture until he ceased praising God. As Valerian refused, he was beheaded. Valerian, who lived under Emperor Marcus Aurelius at Castrum Tinurtium (Tournus), was beheaded there in 178. A church and monastery were built over his tomb, which took the name Saint-Philibert after Charles the Bald gifted the monastery in 875 to the Benedictine monks of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, who had been driven from Noirmoutier by Norman invasions.