Martyrs of Lyons
In 177 a persecution of the Christians in Gaul (France) took place. The five persons most savagely persecuted were Attalus, Blandina, Maturus, Sanctus, and Pothinus, the first Bishop of Lyons. Nothing is known about Attalus. Blandina was a virgin slave girl, Maturus a recent convert, and Sanctus a deacon. Pothinus is believed to have been a disciple of Polycarp. Eusebius, the first church historian, has a “Letter of the Churches of Lyons and Vienne” in his Ecclesiastical History which describes in detail the horrible suffering and the heroic courage of these martyrs. They are commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of the church year on June 2.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.