Saint Justus of Lyon

Justus was bishop of Lyon in Gaul in the late fourth century and took part in the Council of Aquileia in 381, which defended the faith of the Council of Nicaea. According to the early accounts, a man who had killed people in the streets took refuge in Justus's cathedral. The bishop handed him over to the authorities on the promise that his life would be spared, but an angry crowd seized and killed him.

Justus felt responsible for this death. He secretly left his diocese and traveled to Egypt, where he lived unknown among the desert monks as a humble brother, doing penance and prayer. He was eventually recognized but chose to remain, and he died there around 390. His body was brought back to Lyon, where a church and district still bear his name, Saint-Just.

The Roman Martyrology remembers him on September 2. In Lyon the church of Saint-Just, built over the site of his early tomb, keeps his memory alive, and the name Justo is common in Spain and Latin America.

His story is often told as an example of an honest conscience and of the desire to repair harm done to others.