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The Great Persecutions: The Empire against the Cross

The Great Persecutions: The Empire against the Cross

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3rd Century: Crisis and the First Bishops · FROM 50 BC TO THE FALL OF ROME

In the 3rd century, repression changed in nature. It was no longer an angry crowd attacking Christians — it was the Roman state itself organising persecution.

Coin of Decius Antoninianus of Emperor Decius, who launched the first empire-wide persecutions.

🐂 The martyrdom of Saint Saturninus (Toulouse)

In Toulouse, Bishop Saturninus (Sernin) refused to sacrifice a bull to Jupiter. The furious crowd tied him by the feet to the bull and provoked the animal. The saint was dragged along the steps of the Capitol until he died. The episode left a deep mark on southern France.

Saint Saturninus The Church of Saint-Saturninus in Pont-Saint-Esprit, dedicated to the martyr.

⛓️ The persecutions of Valerian and Diocletian

Later, Emperor Valerian banned Christian gatherings and ordered the confiscation of Church property. Under Diocletian came the “Great Persecution”: churches were destroyed and sacred books burned.

🧠 Key takeaways

  • State policy: persecution became systematic and bureaucratic.
  • Goal: restore the “peace of the gods” to save an empire in crisis.
  • Outcome: the Church, though tested, emerged stronger through the heroism of its martyrs.
  • Saturninus: an emblematic figure of Christian resistance in Aquitaine.

📸 Image credits

  • Saint Saturninus — FredSeiller, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Coin of Emperor Decius — Rasiel Suarez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons