St Benignus

1^st November is celebrated as All Saints Day, which covers all those who are not allocated a specific date in the Church calendar and those considered worthy of remembrance even if they have not been accorded the status of “saint” in the usually accepted meaning of the word.

However, there is a saint who is officially recognised on 1st November in his own right, and that is Saint Benignus.

Benignus was a missionary in Roman Gaul in the third century. He was sent, together with two priests and a deacon, by Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, on a mission to evangelise Gaul. They landed at Marseilles, having earlier been shipwrecked on Corsica, and made their way up the rivers Rhône and Saône to Autun, where Benignus converted a nobleman who would later achieve sainthood himself as St Symphorian.  The missionaries then split up in order to cover more ground.

Eventually Benignus was denounced to the Roman authorities and put on trial at Dijon. Despite undergoing extreme torture he refused to renounce his faith and sacrifice to pagan idols. He was therefore put to death by being clubbed with an iron bar and is hence recognised by the Church as a Christian martyr. The cathedral at Dijon is dedicated to him.

© John Welford