Volusianus of Trier

Volusianus of Trier was bishop of Trier at the end of the 5th century. Very little is known about his life; he is one of a number of bishops of that time. The rapid succession of bishops in the later 5th and early 6th centuries points to troubled times, in the passage from Roman to Frankish rule, Trier becoming Frankish in 496. After a period of crisis for the Christian community, some stabilisation had appeared already under his predecessor, Marus.

His name has been associated with the so-⁠called New Year's Privilege, the grant by which Pope Sylvester I (314-335) is said to have given certain rights to the Church of Trier, although some question its authenticity. The document and this attribution are attested only in the 10th and 11th centuries. Where he was buried is unknown. Our sources show no cult of him; the archive record nevertheless calls him venerated in the West.