ON ST. SAPPHIRUS, AT ST. JULIAN'S IN THE DIOCESE OF BOURGES
IN GAUL.
CommentarySapphirus, at St. Julian's in the diocese of Bourges in Gaul (S.)
BY J. S.
The cult of the Saint, and the place in which he is venerated: Castellan alone in the Universal Martyrology today announces St. Sapphirus (in French Saffier), confessor, in the village of St. Julian near Bourges in the archdeaconry of Sicalonia. But I have been able to learn nothing about this Saint beyond his cult, of which a few things were written to me by the Reverend Father Berthier of our Society, one of the writers of the Trévoux journal and a continuator of the History of the Gallican Church. He testifies that the following things were written to him from the city of Bourges; namely that St. Sapphirus is the secondary patron of the parish of St. Julian on the river Cher near the town of Villefranche (in French Ville Franche). Formerly St. Sapphirus was patron of a neighboring parish church in the place called Vallette. But when that church was destroyed, the parish was transferred to the priory of St. Julian, and there St. Sapphirus was made secondary patron.
[2] all the rest unknown. Further, it is unknown in the said parish at what time that Saint lived: nor do I understand it to be known whether he was a martyr or a confessor, a bishop or an abbot; but that he is represented in a painted panel of the church of St. Julian with a miter on his head. This panel breeds in me a suspicion of episcopal or abbatial dignity: but nothing certain can be established, because it is not known how great is the authority or the antiquity of the panel. For this cause the most worthy lord dean of the cathedral church of Bourges, who himself declared these things, when the new Breviary of Bourges was composed, made a proper antiphon for St. Sapphirus, because he did not know to which order of Saints he should ascribe him. For the rest, gather from this that St. Sapphirus is venerated in the diocese of Bourges.