For Saint Severin of Noricum, see Severinus of Noricum.

Saint Severin of Cologne (in Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, Severinus) was the third known Bishop of Cologne

Archbishopric of Cologne

The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...

, living in the later 4th century. Little is known of him. He is said in 376 to have founded a monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 in the then Colonia Agrippina

History of Cologne

The History of Cologne, Germany's oldest major city, can be broken into several periods.- Roman period :In 39 BC, the tribe of the Ubii entered into an agreement with the Roman forces and settled on the left bank of the Rhine. Their headquarters was Oppidum Ubiorum — the settlement of the Ubii, and...

 in honour of the martyrs Saints Cornelius

Pope Cornelius

Pope Saint Cornelius was pope from his election on 6 or 13 March 251 to his martyrdom in June 253.- Christian persecution :Emperor Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 AD, persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire rather sporadically and locally, but starting January in the year 250, he ordered all...

 and Cyprian

Cyprian

Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...

, from which developed the later Basilica of St. Severin

Basilica of St. Severin

The Basilica of St. Severin is an early Romanesque basilica church located in the Südstadt of Cologne . The former collegiate church is dedicated to St. Severin of Cologne. It is one of the twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne.St. Severin was established in the late 4th century as a memorial...

. Severin is notable as a prominent opponent of Arianism.

Veneration

His bones are today preserved in a gold shrine in the choir of St Severin's Church in Cologne. That seen today is a reconstruction of 1819, as the mediaeval shrine was melted down for the gold in the period of French rule, ca. 1795-98. Its opening in 1999 corroborated the documented transfer of the bones of bishop Wigfried

Archbishopric of Cologne

The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...

 of Cologne (924-953), as it was possible to date the old inner wooden shrine by the latest dendrochronological

Dendrochronology

Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...

 techniques to the year 948. An ancient cloth, probably Byzantine

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

, was also discovered, with which the wooden box was lined. The saint's feast day is 23 October.

External links

The wooden shrine of Saint Severin