Ferrutio of Vesontio

16 June

Ferrutio, deacon and martyr, with his brother the presbyter Ferreolus, natives of Asia Minor, killed at Vesontio in Gaul, c. 212.

The brothers were sent by Irenaeus of Lyons (who had ordained them) to evangelize the country around Vesontio (present-day Besançon in Franche-Comté), where they worked for 30 years. They were tortured and beheaded during the persecution of Severus. According to Gregory of Tours in the 6th century, their relics cured Gregory’s brother-in-law of distemper. The relics are still treasured in the cathedral of Besançon.