refused to deny Christ. The authorities savagely tortured him, to which he responded with new miracles; he did not change his mind. Eventually, Benignus was clubbed to death with a bar of iron and his heart pierced. "He was buried in a tomb which was made to look like a pagan monument in order to deceive the persecutors". Critique In the time of Gregory of Tours there was a sudden appearance of acta regarding Benignus, narrating the martyrdom of the saint, and said by Gregory to have been brought from Italy to Dijon by a pilgrim, but apparently edited at Dijon in the sixth century. According to these hagiographic accounts, Polycarp of Smyrna (died ca 155) had sent Benignus as a missionary to Dijon, where he had labored as a priest and had finally died a martyr, during the persecution under Aurelian (270–275), a possibility chronologically irreconcilable. Louis Duchesne has proved that these acta are at the head of a whole group of legends which arose in the early years of the sixth century and were intended to demonstrate the early the beginnings of Christianity in the cities of that region (Besançon, Autun, Langres, Valence). "They are historically unreliable, and the very existence of some of the martyrs connected with these places is doubtful." Kirsch says, "They are all falsifications by the same hand and possess no historical value." Attributes On the seal of the abbey, Benignus of Dijon is depicted as having a dog by his side. He also holds a key. References External links Saint of the Day, November 1: Benignus of Dijon at SaintPatrickDC.org Wooden statue of St. Benignus of Dijon 3rd-century births 3rd-century deaths History of Dijon People from Dijon 3rd-century Christian martyrs Gallo-Roman saints 3rd-century bishops in Gaul Deaths by beating in Europe