Pothinus

Pothinus was a Greek eunuch who served as the regent for Ptolemy XIII, the co-ruler of Egypt with his sister Cleopatra VII. He was a disciple of Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, and accompanied him to Rome in 158. He was sent by Pope Anicetus to evangelize the Gauls and established the Christian Church in Lyon. He was the first bishop of Lyon and the first bishop of Gaul. He turned Ptolemy against Cleopatra and started a civil war in Egypt. He also ordered the murder of Pompey, the rival of Julius Caesar, who had sought refuge in Egypt after losing the Battle of Pharsalus. Caesar was outraged by this act and sided with Cleopatra. He captured Pothinus and had him executed, either by stabbing or by imprisonment. Pothinus was also a martyr of the Christian faith, as he was persecuted and killed along with other Christians in Lyon. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.