| Saint Paternus of Avranches | |
| Birth Date: | c. 482 |
| Death Date: | 550 or 565 |
| Feast Day: | April 15 |
| Venerated In: | Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church |
| Birth Place: | Poitiers, Poitou, France |
| Death Place: | Avranches, Normandy, France |
Paternus was also a bishop of Vannes (Brittany) (c. 500) and a bishop of Zaragoza (Spain) in 1040-1077. Another Paternus is traditionally considered the first bishop of Braga.
Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy (c. 482-565) was born around the year 482, although the exact year is unknown, in Poitiers, Poitou. He was born into a Christian family. His father Patranus went to Ireland to spend his days as a hermit in holy solitude. Because of this, Paternus embraced religious life. He became a monk at the Abbey of Marnes in France. Later on, St Paternus went to Wales where he built a monastery called Llanpatenvaur.[1] Before long, he wished to attain the perfection of Christian virtue by a life of penance in solitude. He went into solitude with his fellow monk, Saint Scubilion. The forest of Seicy in the diocese of Coutances was the place he became a hermit.
At a later date, the abbot of the region who knew Paternus recommended him to the Bishop of Coutances and the bishop made him a priest in 512. Together with St Scubilion he evangelized the western coasts and established several monasteries of which he was made the abbot general.