Zachary of Vienne

Saint Zacharias of Vienne, hieromartyr, was, according to tradition, the second bishop of the city of Vienne, in Gaul (now in the department of Isère, France), and was put to death in the time of the emperor Trajan, in 106. He was one of the first evangelists of Christianity in France. He is a locally venerated saint, in the Catholic Church, one of the patrons of the city of Vienne. His commemoration is on 26 May.

There is little historical testimony for the time of the first bishops of Vienne. Saint Verus, for example, is attested as bishop of Vienne in 314, but it is not clear whether he bore the same name as an earlier Verus, listed as the fourth bishop in the succession of the bishops of Vienne.

According to tradition, Zacharias lived at Vienne at the end of the first century, where the people elected him their second bishop. Since Christianity was forbidden in the Roman Empire, he was put to death there in 106 by the prefect Pompey, on the orders of the emperor Trajan.

Because he is venerated locally, Zacharias is one of the patron saints of the city of Vienne. His cult was confirmed by the Catholic Church, and his feast is kept on 26 May.