Saint Pothinus

Who was Saint Pothinus?

Saint Pothinus is a figure of uncertain historicity, who is first mentioned in a letter attributed to Irenaeus of Lyon. The letter was sent from the Christian communities of Lyon and Vienne to the Roman province of Asia.

Irenaeus, in attempting to assert his own authority as bishop of Lyon, claims that Pothinus had been his predecessor in the position, and the first holder of that office; in Irenaeus' account, Pothinus was born around the year 87, and died at the age of ninety, in about 177 AD.

According to the letter, Pothinus was martyred along with Alexander, Attalus, Espagathus, Maturus, and Sanctius, during persecutions by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor known for his great tolerance of faiths other than Christianity. Pothinus and several companions were seized by a mob and taken to the magistrate; Pothinus is believed to have died from the abuse he suffered in prison, while the others were killed by wild beasts in the local amphitheater.

The similarity of the name Pothinus and the Old French verb foutre lead to syncretic amalgamation of Pothinus and Priapus, under the assimilated name Saint Foutin.