Benignus of Dijon, St.

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BENIGNUS OF DIJON, ST.

Early martyr. According to the unhistorical legend from the sixth century, he came from Asia Minor as a disciple of St. polycarp and a missionary to Burgundy. He is supposed to have suffered martyrdom at the order of the Roman Emperor marcus aurelius. He was venerated as a saint even before the sixth century and was recognized as the patron of Dijon. The basilica and the Abbey of Saint-Bénigne were built over his tomb in Dijon.

Feast: Nov. 1.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum Nov. 1:134194. e. ewig, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 195765) 2:203204. g. bardy, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912) 7:131415. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, ed. h. thurston and d. attwater (New York 1956) 4:236.

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