Paulus of Verdun

Paul distributing rolls from the "Paul Cross" near Verdun

Saint Paulus of Verdun (576-648) was a Roman Catholic bishop of Verdun in the Lorraine region of France from 641 until his death in 647 or 648.

Paulus was the son of a wealthy family – his name suggests that he was part of the old Gallo-Roman aristocracy. He became a hermit and spent time on Paulsberg (lat: Mons Cebenna) across the Moselle from Trier. Later he joined the monastery at Tholey in what is now Saarland. There he had charge of the school and is said to have become the second abbot.

According to his biography he was made bishop against his will due to the influence of one of his students, Adalgisel Grimo. Reportedly he found the diocese in a very poor financial state and was aided by gifts from Adalgisel and the Frankish King of Austrasia.^[1]

After his death Paulus was buried in the church of St. Saturninus in Verdun, which he had built and which was later renamed St. Paul's after him.^[2]

His feast day is September 8 in the Roman Catholic Church.

Legend

According to a legend related by Bertarius of Verdun, one day Paulus was working in the bakery in the Abbey of Tholey when the oven malfunctioned. He feared that the bread would not be ready in time for meals, so he climbed into the burning oven in full habit, cleaned it with his hood, arranged the loaves to be baked, and later emerged from the oven with the fully baked loaves.^[3][4]

Because of this legend, Paulus became the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs of Verdun. On his feast day the "bread of Saint Paul" was distributed annually on the streets of Verdun.

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