Loup de Bayeux was a 5th-century prelate who served as the bishop of Bayeux between approximately 440 and 470. Born into a pagan family in Bayeux, he was converted to Christianity by Rufinien, the third bishop of the city. Legend suggests he received his name from a young child and was elevated to the episcopacy by Sylvester, the archbishop of Rouen. During his ministry, he was noted for his religious leadership and for performing miracles, such as restoring sight to the blind.
Life and ministry
During his tenure, Loup was assisted by a priest named Aufiac. Local tradition recounts that he defeated a monstrous wolf that had been terrorizing the region by casting it into the Drome river. This event is associated with the location of Saint-Loup-Hors. His reign is traditionally estimated to have lasted thirty-two years, and he is believed to have died in the mid-5th century.
Veneration and relics
The saint is commemorated on 25 October and 28 May. His remains were originally interred in the Saint-Exupère church in Bayeux. To protect his relics from Norman raids, they were moved to the castle of Palluau en Gatinois in 863. Later, they were housed at the abbey of Cormery and eventually at the Saint-Spire cathedral in Corbeil, before being lost during the revolutionary period of 1793.