Saints Rasiphus and Ravennus were natives of Britain who fled their country during the Anglo-Saxon invasions. They settled in Gaul and became hermits.
According to an account of their lives, the two saints founded their hermitage near the site of the current building, near a miraculous spring of water.
Since little is known about their lives, there are multiple versions of their martyrdom. According to one version, they were tossed against a great block of sandstone. Their heads dented the stone but the two saints were not hurt. They were then decapitated and buried near the present grounds of St-Aubin de Macé; a tombstone marks the site of their former grave.
Accounts also attribute many miracles to the Saints Rasiphus and Ravennus. They were venerated as great healers.
