Saint Silvinus or Silvin (c. 650 in

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

– 15 February 717 in Auchy) was an evangelist in the area of

Thérouanne Thérouanne (; ; Dutch ''Terwaan'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France west of Aire-sur-la-Lys and south of Saint-Omer, on the river Lys. Population History At the time of the Gauls, ''T ...

, which is now in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Life

Silvin was born of a notable family of the area of

and passed his first years at the courts of

Childeric II Childeric II ( 653 – 675) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks in the 7th century. He ruled Austrasia from 662 and Neustria and Kingdom of Burgundy, Burgundy from 673 until his death, making him sole king for the final two years o ...

and Theodoric III. Shortly before a planned marriage, he renounced all worldly prospects, and retired from court. He made pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to Rome, where he was ordained. He was then consecrated an itinerant bishop to preach the Gospel in the north of France. He seems to have concentrated his efforts in the

Ancient Diocese of Thérouanne The former French diocese of Thérouanne (Lat. ''Moriniensis'' or ''Taruannensis'') controlled a large part of the left bank of the river Scheldt during the Middle Ages. Territorially it was part of the county of Artois which belonged to the count ...

. He retired to the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

of Auchy-les-Moines, where he later died and was buried. His body was stolen by Arnulf I and he became a central saint for the

Abbey of Saint Bertin The Abbey of Saint Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its ...

. St. Silvin is mentioned in a French legendary in Lund."A Northern French Legendary in Lund", University of Bergen
/ref> In Auchy he is commemorated on 15 February, his date of death; elsewhere his

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is 17 February, the date of burial.

References

External links

Silvinus at Patron Saints Index17 February saints at St. Patrick's Church
{{authority control 650 births 710s deaths 8th-century Frankish saints French Benedictines