Ursus of Solothurn
Egyptian saint
Feast: 30 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Ursus is the patron of the principal church of Solothurn in Switzerland and has been honoured from very early times as a martyr of the Theban Legion; the Roman Martyrology records him with St. Victor on 30 September. The legend by St. Eucherius of Lyons, which scholars class as a historical romance, says he was beheaded about 286 under the Emperor Maximian after cruel tortures for refusing to sacrifice to idols.
A church was probably built over his remains in the late fifth century. His old coffin was found in 1519, and the Roman urn holding his relics calls him 'the holy Ursus the Theban'.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A martyr of the Theban Legion, patron of Solothurn.
Connected on this site
- Victor of Solothurn Saint“Victor of Solothurn on 30 September.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Ursus
- Roman Martyrology, 30 September (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q543873 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Ursus of Solothurn (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.