Apollinaris of Clermont
Encyclopedia
Apollinaris was a Romano-Gallic
aristocrat, who led a Roman militia for the Visigoth
s in the Battle of Vouillé
, and was bishop of Clermont
for four months before his death.
and Papianilla. A number of contemporary Romano-Gallic aristocrats were his cousins, including bishops Avitus
of Vienne and Ruricius
of Limoges.
Our earliest records of Apollinaris are in the letters of his father Sidonius. Although Apollinaris is the recipient of one letter (Epistulae III.13), E.H. Warmington considers it a "show-piece" which was never actually sent to him. Sidonius mentions Apollinaris in several of his letters: two allude to his youth (in V.11, he describes Apollinaris as "in these budding years of manhood", and in V.9 hopes that Apollinaris would have children), another mentions Apollinaris' love of hunting, and in the last laments his disinterest in literature. Despite his father's opinion, Apollinaris did at least once display an interest in literature: according to a letter of Ruricius, he helped to distribute his father's writings.
After the Visigothic capture of Clermont, Apollinaris fled the town with comes
Victorius to Italy; there Victorius was killed, and Apollinaris was taken captive, but managed to escape with his servant and return home.
Apollinaris apparently got along with king Alaric II
far better than Alaric's predecessor, for Gregory of Tours
records that Apollinaris led a militia raised in Clermont on the Visigothic side of the Battle of Vouillé in 507. Although several letters written to him from his other cousin, bishop Avitus of Vienne, are dated to the years after that battle, Apollinaris' activities until 515 are unknown. In that year, with the help of his sister Alcima and his wife Placidana, he was appointed bishop of Clermont by the Frankish king Theuderic I
. However, he held the office only four months before he died.
He was survived by a son, Arcadius, of whom Gregory of Tours tells several unflattering stories.
Roman Gaul
Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Roman control of the area lasted for less than 500 years....
aristocrat, who led a Roman militia for the Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
s in the Battle of Vouillé
Battle of Vouillé
The Battle of Vouillé or Vouglé was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, Vienne near Poitiers , in the spring of 507 between the Franks commanded by Clovis and the Visigoths of Alaric II, the conqueror of Spain.Clovis and Anastasius I of the Byzantine Empire agreed...
, and was bishop of Clermont
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Clermont
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Clermont, is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church, in France. The diocese comprises the department of Puy-de-Dôme, in the Region of Auvergne. Its see is Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral. For long a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bourges, it...
for four months before his death.
Life
Apollinaris was the son of the aristocrat and poet Sidonius ApollinarisSidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Apollinaris Sidonius or Saint Sidonius Apollinaris was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg...
and Papianilla. A number of contemporary Romano-Gallic aristocrats were his cousins, including bishops Avitus
Avitus of Vienne
Alcimus Ecdicius Avitus was a Latin poet and archbishop of Vienne in Gaul.Avitus was born of a prominent Gallo-Roman senatorial family in the kinship of Emperor Avitus.-Life:...
of Vienne and Ruricius
Ruricius
Ruricius I , a Gallo-Roman aristocrat and bishop of Limoges from ca.485 to 510. He is one of the writers whose letters survive from late Roman Gaul depicting the influence of the Visigoths on the Roman lifestyle...
of Limoges.
Our earliest records of Apollinaris are in the letters of his father Sidonius. Although Apollinaris is the recipient of one letter (Epistulae III.13), E.H. Warmington considers it a "show-piece" which was never actually sent to him. Sidonius mentions Apollinaris in several of his letters: two allude to his youth (in V.11, he describes Apollinaris as "in these budding years of manhood", and in V.9 hopes that Apollinaris would have children), another mentions Apollinaris' love of hunting, and in the last laments his disinterest in literature. Despite his father's opinion, Apollinaris did at least once display an interest in literature: according to a letter of Ruricius, he helped to distribute his father's writings.
After the Visigothic capture of Clermont, Apollinaris fled the town with comes
Comes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...
Victorius to Italy; there Victorius was killed, and Apollinaris was taken captive, but managed to escape with his servant and return home.
Apollinaris apparently got along with king Alaric II
Alaric II
Alaric II, also known as Alarik, Alarich, and Alarico in Spanish and Portuguese or Alaricus in Latin succeeded his father Euric on December 28, 484, in Toulouse. He established his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour in Aquitaine...
far better than Alaric's predecessor, for Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
records that Apollinaris led a militia raised in Clermont on the Visigothic side of the Battle of Vouillé in 507. Although several letters written to him from his other cousin, bishop Avitus of Vienne, are dated to the years after that battle, Apollinaris' activities until 515 are unknown. In that year, with the help of his sister Alcima and his wife Placidana, he was appointed bishop of Clermont by the Frankish king Theuderic I
Theuderic I
Theuderic I was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it is variously called—from 511 to 533 or 534....
. However, he held the office only four months before he died.
He was survived by a son, Arcadius, of whom Gregory of Tours tells several unflattering stories.
Further reading
- Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale, and John Morris, "Apollinaris 3", Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Cambridge University Press, 1992, ISBN 0521072336, vol. II p. 114