diff --git a/pkgs/development/python2-modules/sphinx/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python2-modules/sphinx/default.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 80dec053108..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/development/python2-modules/sphinx/default.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,82 +0,0 @@
-{ lib
-, buildPythonPackage
-, fetchPypi
-, pytest
-, simplejson
-, mock
-, glibcLocales
-, html5lib
-, pythonOlder
-, enum34
-, python
-, docutils
-, jinja2
-, pygments
-, alabaster
-, babel
-, snowballstemmer
-, six
-, sqlalchemy
-, whoosh
-, imagesize
-, requests
-, typing
-, sphinxcontrib-websupport
-, setuptools
-}:
-
-buildPythonPackage rec {
-  pname = "sphinx";
-  version = "1.8.5";
-  src = fetchPypi {
-    pname = "Sphinx";
-    inherit version;
-    sha256 = "c7658aab75c920288a8cf6f09f244c6cfdae30d82d803ac1634d9f223a80ca08";
-  };
-  LC_ALL = "en_US.UTF-8";
-
-  checkInputs = [ pytest ];
-  buildInputs = [ simplejson mock glibcLocales html5lib ] ++ lib.optional (pythonOlder "3.4") enum34;
-  # Disable two tests that require network access.
-  checkPhase = ''
-    cd tests; ${python.interpreter} run.py --ignore py35 -k 'not test_defaults and not test_anchors_ignored'
-  '';
-  propagatedBuildInputs = [
-    docutils
-    jinja2
-    pygments
-    alabaster
-    babel
-    setuptools
-    snowballstemmer
-    six
-    sphinxcontrib-websupport
-    sqlalchemy
-    whoosh
-    imagesize
-    requests
-  ] ++ lib.optional (pythonOlder "3.5") typing;
-
-  # Lots of tests. Needs network as well at some point.
-  doCheck = false;
-
-  patches = [
-    # Since pygments 2.5, PythonLexer refers to python3. If we want to use
-    # python2, we need to explicitly specify Python2Lexer.
-    # Not upstreamed since there doesn't seem to be any upstream maintenance
-    # branch for 1.8 (and this patch doesn't make any sense for 2.x).
-    ./python2-lexer.patch
-  ];
-  # https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/22501
-  # Do not run `python sphinx-build arguments` but `sphinx-build arguments`.
-  postPatch = ''
-    substituteInPlace sphinx/make_mode.py --replace "sys.executable, " ""
-  '';
-
-  meta = {
-    description = "A tool that makes it easy to create intelligent and beautiful documentation for Python projects";
-    homepage = "http://sphinx.pocoo.org/";
-    license = lib.licenses.bsd3;
-    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ];
-  };
-}
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python2-modules/sphinx/python2-lexer.patch b/pkgs/development/python2-modules/sphinx/python2-lexer.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index cf4a243315a..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/development/python2-modules/sphinx/python2-lexer.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/sphinx/highlighting.py b/sphinx/highlighting.py
-index ac2bd1b06..63ca52de2 100644
---- a/sphinx/highlighting.py
-+++ b/sphinx/highlighting.py
-@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from pygments.filters import ErrorToken
- from pygments.formatters import HtmlFormatter, LatexFormatter
- from pygments.lexer import Lexer  # NOQA
- from pygments.lexers import get_lexer_by_name, guess_lexer
--from pygments.lexers import PythonLexer, Python3Lexer, PythonConsoleLexer, \
-+from pygments.lexers import Python2Lexer, Python3Lexer, PythonConsoleLexer, \
-     CLexer, TextLexer, RstLexer
- from pygments.styles import get_style_by_name
- from pygments.util import ClassNotFound
-@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
- 
- lexers = dict(
-     none = TextLexer(stripnl=False),
--    python = PythonLexer(stripnl=False),
-+    python = Python2Lexer(stripnl=False),
-     python3 = Python3Lexer(stripnl=False),
-     pycon = PythonConsoleLexer(stripnl=False),
-     pycon3 = PythonConsoleLexer(python3=True, stripnl=False),
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/python2-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/python2-packages.nix
index 045a689f1fa..f9c4982ba1c 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/python2-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/python2-packages.nix
@@ -108,8 +108,6 @@ with self; with super; {
 
   sphinxcontrib-websupport = callPackage ../development/python2-modules/sphinxcontrib-websupport { };
 
-  sphinx = callPackage ../development/python2-modules/sphinx { };
-
   typing = callPackage ../development/python2-modules/typing { };
 
   zeek = disabled super.zeek;