Lupercus of Eauze

Saint Lupercus (Luperculus, Lupercius) is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. According to tradition he was bishop of Eauze, in Gaul, and received a martyr's death from the governor Dacian in the time of the emperor Decius, in the third century. Our record also ties him to Zaragoza and gives his death around 300. The commemoration days are 1 March, 5 March (at Tarbes) and 28 June. We have no Orthodox act of canonization, so we call him here a saint of the undivided Church in the West.

Tradition says he was the second bishop of this see, after Saint Paternus. The legend says that his steadfastness led to the conversion of several pagans, among them a man named Anatolius, captain of the guard. The cathedral of Saint-⁠Luperc at Eauze is dedicated to him. Eauze is the principal place of his veneration, but he was widely venerated in the Armagnac region. Another place of veneration is Tarbes. The village of Saint-⁠Loubert takes its name from him.

There is also known a saint of that name, martyred at Zaragoza around 304 and mentioned by Prudentius, whose day is 16 April. Sabine Baring-⁠Gould considers them the same person, believing that Saint Luperculus preached at Eauze, from where he went to Spain and suffered. The Spanish tradition says that this Lupercus (San Lupercio) was the uncle of the virgin martyr Engratia, commemorated also on 16 April. Other sources object to this identification.

According to tradition, another saint Lupercus was the son of Saint Marcellus of Tangier and was tortured at León together with his brothers Claudius and Victoricus.