St. Severus was the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch known by the epithet togho dsuryoye "crown of the Syrians". He studied at Alexandria and Beirut and was baptized in 488. Later he became a monk. Around 508, he went to Constantinople where he secured the support of Emperor Anastasius (491-518) for the persecuted "Syriac Orthodox" Christians who rejected the Council of Chalcedon.

In 512, he became the Patriarch of Antioch, but when Emperor Justin I came to power, he was unjustly deposed and expelled. But he remained the Patriarch in Exile in the eyes of his supporters. He took refuge in Alexandria with Patriarch Timothy II. The Chalcedonians excommunicated him in 536.

Severus was a leading theologian and most of his works, written in Greek, survive only in Syriac, many of which remain unedited.

His feast is celebrated on the Thursday after the Fast of Nineveh.