Viktor of Xanten
Encyclopedia
Victor of Xanten or Saint Victor is a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...

 and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

 of the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

. His presumed bones  are kept in a shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....

 since the 12th century that today is embedded into the high altar of the Xanten Cathedral
Xanten Cathedral
Xanten Cathedral , sometimes called St. Victor's Cathedral , is a Roman Catholic church situated in Xanten, a historic town in the lower Rhine area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is considered the biggest cathedral between Cologne and the sea...

. His feast day is October 10.

Tradition states that Victor was a Praefectus cohortis
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....

 of a Cohort
Cohort (military unit)
A cohort was the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion following the reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC.-Legionary cohort:...

 of the Theban Legion
Theban Legion
The Theban Legion figures in Christian hagiography as an entire Roman legion — of "six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — who had converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together, in 286, according to the hagiographies of Saint Maurice, the chief among the Legion's...

. He was closely associated with Ursus of Solothurn
Ursus of Solothurn
Ursus of Solothurn was a 3rd century Roman Christian venerated as a saint. He is the patron of the main Roman Catholic Church church in Solothurn, Switzerland, where his body is located. He was associated very early with the Theban Legion and Victor of Solothurn, for instance in the Roman Martyrology...

, and is said to have been a relative of Saint Verena
Verena
Verena is venerated as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church and by the Roman Catholic Church. According to tradition, she was associated with the Theban Legion and died on the 4th day of Thout ....

. He was executed in the 4th century in the amphitheater of Castra Vetera (the site of present-day Xanten
Xanten
Xanten is a historic town in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany, located in the district of Wesel.Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park or archaeological open air museum , its medieval picturesque city centre with Xanten Cathedral and many museums, its large man-made lake for...

) for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods.
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