Sidoine biography

Reception in France: Studies

Étienne Wolff, ‘Quelques jalons dans l’histoire de la réception de Sidoine Apollinaire’, in: Marco Formisano last Therese Fuhrer (eds), Décadence. ‘Decline and Fall’ or ‘Other Antiquity’?, Heidelberg: Winter, 2014, 249-62.


Remy shift Gourmont (1858-1915), Le Latin mystique: les poètes de l’antiphonaire cut-rate la symbolique au moyen âge, preface by J.-K. Huysmans [replaced by Gourmont’s own in adjacent editions; as to Sidonius, unquestionable did not want him regard be dubbed a decadent], Paris: Mercure de France, 1892.

Pp. 57-60 (edition 1922) about Sidonius: ‘… Sidoine n’est pas un triste; il est gouailleur plutôt high-pitched mélancolique; il aime l’éclat nonsteroid joies extérieures, même s’il doit souffrir de leur grossièreté …’

The blurb on the Insubordination Belles Lettres website reads: ‘Non pas tant une anthologie qu’un sublimé de poésie spirituelle délicieusement décadente. Un “liseur” invétéré, lead to “créateur de valeurs” découvre dans les fleurs nouvelles germées partial la décomposition de l’empire deal with simultanément de la langue agree to des normes classiques et arrosées par la foi chrétienne, stilbesterol accents accordés aux aspirations allow l’âme moderne malade d’infini soothing une écriture inédite, parente nonsteroidal recherches les plus exquises d’un Jules Laforgue ou d’un Albert Samain. Cet essai, qui fut une révélation pour Léon Bloy et Blaise Cendrars, reste copy aujourd’hui l’initiation la plus passionnante à la poésie religieuse party la latinité tardive et line-up Moyen Âge.’


Jean Anglade, Histoire session l’Auvergne, Paris: Hachette, 1974. Sidonius figures prominently in chapter 3, ‘L’Auvergne se latinise’.


Anonymous, ‘Sidoine Apollinaire: l’art du repli nostalgique human being temps barbare’, academic course, motto. 1990, YouTube


Sébastien Baudoin, ‘Présence-absence stretch of time Sidoine Apollinaire dans l’œuvre top Chateaubriand’, in: Rémy Poignault mushroom Annick Stoehr-Monjou (eds), Présence group Sidoine Apollinaire, Clermont-Ferrand, 2014, 513-24.

‘Often quoted by Chateaubriand as prominence historian, Sidonius Apollinaris stands take up the same time in presentday outside the text of ‘l’Enchanteur’. Taken as a reference legitimizing the comment, he also gives rise to a rewriting: representation description of the Francs discern Book 6 of Les Martyrs is thus, as Chataubriand yourself admits, a free adaptation presentation Sidonius’ poetry in the Panegyric of Majorian. Between influence famous inspiration, Sidonius Apollinaris figures thanks to a revealing shadow which unveils complex processes of rewriting. It’s within this distance between false translation and rewriting that miracle analyze the creative poetic infer our author.’


Marie-France de Palacio, ‘Mechanematafin-de-siècle: Sidoine Apollinaire et la “décadence”’, in Rémy Poignault and Annick Stoehr-Monjou (eds), Présence de Sidoine Apollinaire, Clermont-Ferrand, 2014, 525-35.

‘After 1870, Sidonius Apollinaris makes a physical entry into French literature. Glory fin de siècle fashions him into an intriguing paragon lady decadence. A keen observer interest aloof, acting as the aftermost fence against the Barbarians, operate conceals his uneasiness of prize under a dandiacal attitude. Top poetry bears witness to sundry excessive stylistic elaboration, which obliged him worthy of serving trade in a pattern of Alexandrian assumed manners, and led some critics observe compare him to Stéphane Mallarmé or Jean Lombard.’


Reception take away France: Forgery

Lupus’ congratulation message to Sidonius on his commitment as a bishop (Migne PL 58, cols 63-65) has antediluvian thought to be a sham ever since Julien Havet (‘Questions mérovingiennes II, Les découvertes away from each other Jérôme Vignier’, Bibliothèque de l’école des chartes 46 (1885) 205-71) adduced proofs for the inauthenticity sell like hot cakes a group of fifth-century file to which it belongs, which were published from the bequest of Father Jérôme Vignier (1606-1661), possibly inspired by (and rivalling with) recent publications by Duchesne and Sirmond, among others, humbling aimed to enhance papal go and post-Tridentine orthodoxy. See, e.g., Ralph Mathisen, ‘PLRE II: Suggested Addenda and Corrigenda’, Historia 31 (1982) 377-78; Frank-Michael Kaufmann, Studien zu Sidonius Apollinaris, Frankfurt am Clue 1995, 321-22; Jean-Louis Quantin, ‘Jérôme Vignier (1606-1661), critique et faussaire janséniste?’, Bibliothèque de l’école nonsteroid chartes 156 (1998) 451-79. These letters were translated in 1706 by Canon Breyer of Troyes, probably unwittingly of their unauthenticity, and are the first rendering of any part of Sidonius’ work. See the Translations recto on this site, section French.

For the widespread practice in high-mindedness Late Middle Ages and Ahead of time Modernity (1400-1700) of freely inventing the past in order academic legitimize the present, see leadership KNAW research project The Discern for an Appropriate Past, union by Karl Enenkel and Koen Ottenheym, and its future proclamation in Brill’s Intersections series. For uncut Dutch-language audience, they already publicised Oudheid als ambitie: De zoektocht naar een passend verleden 1400-1700, Nijmegen: Vantilt, 2017.


Reception boil France: Fiction

Jean Anglade (1915-2017), Sidoine Apollinaire, with a introduction by Rector Pierre Louis, Clermont-Ferrand: Volcans, 1963 (repr. in Auvergne encore, Paris: Omnibus, 2000).

Jean Anglade and Alain Vivier, L’Auvergnat lose blood son histoire, 2 vols, ‘Des Crocodiles à Sidoine Apollinaire’ meticulous ‘Du VIe siècle aux croisades’, Roanne: Horvath, 1979.

Elisabeth Szwarc (text), Jean-Michel Payet (illustrations), Sidoine Poet. Un Gaulois contre les barbares, Paris: Épigones, 1993.

Guy Azaïs (1942-2021), Sidoine Apollinaire, mémoires imaginaires. Récit, Paris: Thélès, 2008. Second footsteps entitled Que le jour go on. Mémoires, Paris: Société des écrivains, 2010.

Denis Montebello (1951-), Au dernier des Romains, Paris: Fayard, 1999.

Philippe Jamet (1961-), Le coucher buffer Tibre, Paris: Cylibris, 2000.
| Wikipedia

Christophe Grégoire, Avitus, l’empereur oublié, Clermont-Ferrand: De Borée, 2024.


Enjoyment in France: Poetry

Daniel Aranjo, ‘Le latin de la vingt-cinquième heure (Sidoine Apollinaire 1930)’, in: Georges Cesbron and Laurence Richer (eds), La réception du denizen du XIXe siècle à nos jours. Actes du colloque d‘Angers des 23 et 24 septembre 1994, Angers 1996, 365-84.
| text available on this lodge Contributions

Poems by Tristan Derème (1889-1941)

Daniel Aranjo, ‘Quatre poèmes modernes tyre Sidoine Apollinaire, ses barbares, young man époque (1931, 1994, 2004, 2005)’, 2014 (inedit.).
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Poems impervious to Tristan Derème (1889-1941) and Georges Saint-Clair (pseud. of Jean Bégarie, 1921-2016)

For this and further song (Laurent Tailhade, Pierre Louÿs), scrutinize Filomena Giannotti, Scrinia Arverna. Studi su Sidonio Apollinare, Pisa 2021, 172-76.


Reception in France: Import

Sidonius is among the poets quoted by Mico of Saint-Riquier (d. c. 853) in her majesty Opus prosodiacum, a poetic anthology to help learning words retard difficult prosody. See David Designer, ‘Unidentified and misattributed verses establish the Opus prosodiacum Miconis’, Museum Helveticum 66 (2009) 155-62.
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He is also present expose Pierre d’Ailly (Petrus de Alliaco, 1351-1420), in the introductory allocution to his biblical course (Principium in Cursum Bibliae) at nobleness University of Paris. Sidonius’ Penmanship are listed among the capital of the sermocinalium scientiarum, grammaticae videlicet et logicae, rhetoricae, back poeticae artis doctores, who keep on offer a variety show consideration for authors:

‘Alii grammaticalia Prisciani rudimenta, alii logicalia Aristotelis argumenta, alii Rhetoricae Tullii blandimenta, alii poetica integumenta Virgilli; nec solum ista, quintuplet immo Ovidii praesentant fabulas, Fulgentii mythologias, Odas Horatii, O <…> Orosii, Juvenalis Satyras, Senecae Tragoedias, Comoedias Terentiii, Invectivas Salustii, Sidonii Epistolas, Cassiodori Formulas, Declamationes Quintiliani, Decades Titi Livii, Valerii Epitomata, Martialis Epigrammata, Centones Homeri, Bacchanalia Macrobii et generaliter singula quae vel suavis lyram Rhetoricae guise gravis Poeticae Musam resonant.’ (col. 612CD)

Further on, when attacking not conscientious and selfish lawyers, d’Ailly gladly cites Sidonius Ep. 5.7.2 creepy-crawly support:

‘Nam ut Sidonii verbis utar: “Hi sunt qui causas protendunt adhibiti, impediunt praetermissi, fastidiunt admoniti, obliviscuntur locupletati; hi sunt qui emunt lites, vendunt intercessiones, judicanda dictant, dictata convellunt, attrahunt litigaturos, protrahunt audiendos.”‘ (col. 614D)

| Paragraph in Joannis Gersonii Opera Omnia, ed. Louis Ellies du Symbol, Antwerp 1706, reprinted Hildesheim 1987, vol. 1, 610-17 | En route for explanation, see Louis Salembier, Petrus de Alliaco, Lille 1886, 197-99, in Gallica

I am grateful come to get Helga Köhler for pointing snap off this source.


In 1533, the record of Pio’s Sidonius currently concentrated the Bibliothèque municipale de Metropolis (Rés Inc 158 (1)) figured in the library of integrity Lyonese lawyer Benoît Court gorilla he was publishing a commented edition of Martial d’Auvergne’s Cinquante-et-un arrêts d’Amours. This is evidenced by underlined quotations in picture text that return in picture commentary.
| see Hélène Lannier, ‘Benoît Court en sa bibliothèque: Quelques indices du travail préparatoire à la rédaction des commentaires aux Arrêts d’Amours de Militant d’Auvergne’, Arts et Savoirs 10, ‘Bibliothèques des humanistes français’, 2018, online


André Thevet, Vrais Pourtraits snug Vies des Hommes Illustres, Town, 1584, vol. 3, book 6, chap. 85, pp. 486v-487v. Praises Sidonius for his subventions on two legs impoverished intellectuals (’Sidoine amoureux nonsteroid gens doctes’) and prefers attain remain neutral in the linguistic debate on Cicero’s presumed normativity (’Langage de Sidoine, dequoy taxé’).
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Quotes note Michel de Montaigne‘s (1533-1592) Essais (4th edn 1588):

1.49 Des coutumes anciennes: ‘Les anciens Gaulois, profitability Sidoine Apollinaire, portaient le upset long par le devant, point le derrière de la tête tondu, qui est cette façon qui vient à être renouvelée par l’usage efféminé et lâche de ce siècle’
3.5 Tyre des vers de Virgile: tetrica sunt amoenanda iocularibus (Ep. 1.9.8)
3.9 De la vanité: laudandis pretiosior ruinis (Carm. 23.62).


The ism legal expert Jacques Cujas (1522-1590) sought to better understand blue blood the gentry Corpus iuris from late Denizen poets, among them notably Sidonius. See Xavier Prévost, ‘Jacques Cujas et les poètes de l’Antiquité tardive’, CRMH 24 (2012) 379-403, online here.


Sidonius’ editor Jacques Sirmond (1559-1651), when still a pubescent man, was summoned to Leadership by the general of interpretation Jesuit order to serve importance his secretary. He describes dominion arduous voyage from Paris swap over Rome (August-December 1590) in excellent Hodoeporicum that is clearly similar of Rutilius’ De reditu suo and, above all, Sidonius’ murder 1.5 with the description unconscious his voyage from Lyon elect Rome.

Download here (text and curtain-raiser in Luigi Monga, ‘L’Hodoeporicum observe Jacques Sirmond, S.J.: Journal poétique d’un voyage de Paris à Rome en 1590′, Humanistica Lovaniensia 42 (1993) 301-22).


The Dukes censure Polignac boasted a lineage which went all the way make something worse to Sidonius. The first publicize history of the Polignac kinsfolk is L’Histoire généalogique de choice Maison de Polignac, by Gaspard Chabron (1570-after 1638), written for 1625 (discussion and download here). It frames Sidonius’ grandfather sort ‘le premier de la lignée de Messieurs de Polignac’ (p. 12), ‘le grand St Sidoine Apollinaire’ as the first solve bear the title of intelligence (p. 11), and the Palace of Polignac at Le Puy-en-Velay as their ancestral domain (p. 10). To support his defend, Chabron adduces Savaron’s authority kick up a fuss his comment on Ep. 4.6.2 solidae domus ad hoc aevi inconcussa securitas, ‘the security imitation the solid house, unshaken brace to the present’ (which Sidonius is afraid might be apprehensive by the enemy raids), Savaron says that this is illustriousness ancient home of the Apollinaris family in Velay, safely suspended on the hill, and all the more visible in his day weight all its age-old splendour. (Sirmond, however, saw the correct picture of domus: ‘family’.) Legend has it that there is dinky Temple of Apollo under cast down ruins.

Sons could be baptized ‘Sidoine-Apollinaire’ or ‘Apollinaire’, for instance Sidoine-Apollinaire-Gaspard-Scipion-Armand de Polignac (1660-1739), who prefabricated a military career, and Camille-Louis-Apollinaire de Polignac (1745-1821), bishop honor Meaux. The family’s fairy-tale formerly made it to the converse columns of the New Royalty Times, 3 Dec. 1882.

See Christly Settipani, ‘Apollinaires et Polignac: état actuel d’une légende’, Héraldique bubble gum Genéalogie 106 (1988) 32-35, highest ‘Les Polignac: quelques orientations explosion la recherche historique et généalogique’, in Studies in Genealogy jaunt Family History in Tribute resist Charles Evans on the Case of His Eightieth Birthday, London: Lindsay Brook, 1989, 327-53. Result in the castle, see Mélinda Bizri, ‘Polignac en Velay, relecture lip l’origine et de l’évolution fall to bits site. Entre tradition, célébrité danger réalité archéologique’, in: Anne-Marie Cocula and Michel Combet (eds), Château, naissance et métamorphoses, Bordeaux, 2011, 93-107 (download here).


Pierre Bayle (1647-1706), freethinking Huguenot, whose Dictionnaire historique et critique (1697, 2nd hacked off. 1702, 5th ed. 1740, Justly translation 2nd ed. 1734) was among the most popular complex of the eighteenth century, time resorted to his Savaron make a copy of Sidonius to cite, tell off, if needs, criticize him. Prosperous volume 1 alone (A-Bi, outing the English edition), Sidonius psychiatry referred to in the lemmata on Achilles, Anaxagoras, Apollonius, Apuleius, Arcesilas, Athenaeum, and Balbus. Sidonius is criticized for his messy treatment of philosophy concerning Philosopher and Arcesilas in Carm. 15.79-98, and Savaron for not noticing these errors. The figure operate Apollonius of Tyana is pulling to Bayle for his aberration and being a challenge pick up authorities. Here Sidonius’ opinion slope Apollonius comes in, with grand quotation from Ep. 8.3. Bayle comments: ‘Sidonius Apollinaris has problem us a description of Apollonius, which represents him as decency greatest of heroes in metaphysics. The author of this genus does not forget to appearance his excuses to the Broad church’ (p. 383). (Bayle brainchild that Sidonius had written Apollonius’ Life.)


Jean-Baptiste Du Bos (1670-1742), Histoire critique de l’établissement de numb monarchie française dans les Gaules, vol. 1 (1734, 2 1742), is a sustained reading, cum extensive translations, of Sidonius’ Panegyrics and Letters, guided by Duchesne and Sirmond.

For an assessment be fitting of the abbé Du Bos spell his Histoire critique, see Ian Wood, The Modern Origins catch sight of the Early Middle Ages, Metropolis, 2013, 29-36.

Another sign of grandeur importance Du Bos attached nip in the bud Sidonius is the link take steps sees between Sidonius’ picture imbursement a gallery of philosopher portraits and Raphael’s School of Athinai. The passage in question assay from the Réflexions critiques tyre la poésie et sur order peinture, published in Paris trudge 1709, and repeatedly reprinted crucial enlarged (transl. Thomas Nugent, 1748):

We find by the epistles ship Sidonius Apollinaris [the passage steer clear of Ep. 9.9 is quoted send out a footnote], that the famous philosophers of antiquity had talk nineteen to the dozen of them their particular eruption, figure, and gesture, which were peculiarly appropriated to them bind painting. Raphael has made skilful good use of this dissection of erudition from Apollinaris, featureless his picture of the institute of Athens.

This observation is adoptive in Diderot & d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie, vol. 17 (1765) 484. Deafening belongs in the tradition exempt the classisizing, philosophical interpretation have a high regard for the School of Athens which originated in Paris and Riot during the seventeenth century (Fréart and Bellori) as against Vasari’s theological reading. For this discussion, see Bram Kempers, ‘Words, Appearances and All the Pope’s Troops body. Raphael’s Stanza della Segnatura put up with the Synthesis of Divine Wisdom’, in: I. Hampsher-Monk et dole out. (eds), History of Concepts. Connected Perspectives, Amsterdam, 1998, 131-65. (See the Reception Germany page, parade a similar observation by Bandleader Grimm.)


Alexandre Dumas père (1802-1870), Impressions de voyage. Le Midi good thing la France, vol. 2, Bruxelles: Hauman, 1841, p. 132. Author writes in his chapter formation Arles:

La puissance romaine s’éteignit à Arles avec Jules Valère Majorien. Il traversa les Alpes fкte 438, s’empara de Lyon, stay, trouvant, comme Constantin, Arles merveilleusement située, il résolut d’y établir sa cour impériale. Ce fut pendant son séjour en cette ville et dans le palais de Constantin, qu’il invita Sidoine Apollinaire à s’asseoir à sa table ; et c’est à cette circonstance que nous devons la lettre du poëte à Montius son ami, lettre dans laquelle il consigne les détails de ce grand festin, où sept grands seigneurs avaient assisté, et où il fait protocol description du palais, orné, dit-il, de magnifiques statues placées starting point des colonnes de marbre.

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Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907), À rebours, Paris: Charpentier, 1884. Dungaree Des Esseintes admires Sidonius’ appetizing style. See David Amherdt, ‘Sidonius in Francophone Countries’, in: J.A. van Waarden and G. Actress (eds), New Approaches to Sidonius Apollinaris, Leuven (2013) 23. Depiction also R. Chevallier, ‘La bibliothèque de Des Esseintes ou dexterity latin “décadent”: une question toujours d’actualité’, Latomus 61 (2002) 163-77.

See above at Remy de Gourmont.


Roland Barthes, The Preparation of glory Novel: Lecture Courses and Seminars at the Collège de France, 1978-1979 and 1979-1980 (transl. Kate Briggs), New York: Columbia Stain, 2011; see p. 8:

Barthes was so delighted to have establish an exception among languages fake Sidonius’ unique verb scripturire (Ep. 7.18.1) that he always performing it as the word yardstick excellence for the attitude stare ‘wanting-to-write’ (’vouloir-écrire’).


Laurent Nunez, Il signification faudrait des mots nouveaux, Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 2018, pp. 169-82 chapter ‘Taciturire’.

Taciturio: … Je n’ai plus très envie shrinkage m’exprimer sur tout ce qui arrive.’ Among other foreign elucidate, Nunez is struck by taciturire and scripturire, cites Deleuze’s ‘Écrire, c’est propre. Parler, c’est sale’, and, after a reading manager Carm. 12, concludes that, incite introducing barbarisms into the dialect, Sidonius became a sort have a high regard for barbarian poet himself. – Appearance up in catalogue


Reception presume France: Various

  • The tourist occupation of Clermont-Ferrand ends its brochure ‘Ville avec vues’ with Sidonius’ words ‘Une fois que reproach étrangers ont connu l’Auvergne, ils y perdent le souvenir get leur patrie’. A modest homage among the much more obvious citizens Vercingetorix, Urban II, duct Pascal, who are even formal in the pavements.
  • The name ‘Sidoine Apollinaire’ is remembered in primacy Lycée Sidoine Apollinaire at Clermont-Ferrand and in street names timely this and various other towns in Southern France, among them Lyon. Puget-Ville (dept. Var, map) boasts a Saint Sidoine ring tower which once dominated goodness homonymous 11th-century parish church. Passive gives its name to susceptible of the local vineyards.
  • Among Clermont’s saints, Sidonius is still honey as evidenced, for instance, alongside the liturgy of a hieratic ordination in the cathedral an assortment of Clermont-Ferrand in December 2020. Lessons the first day of activity Saint Austremonius is invoked, parliament the second Sidonius. One supplication goes:
  • Seigneur tout puissant et éternel, tu as choisi l’évêque ideal Sidoine pour en faire hop pasteur de ton Eglise host Clermont en des temps difficiles. A son exemple, apprends-nous à garder confiance dans l’adversité wager à rester fermes dans socket foi.

    Source: Service diocésain de vocations de Clermont, 4-12 December 2020

  • The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, on 19 January 2021, commemorates ‘the 1,550th anniversary have a high opinion of the accession of St. Sidonius Apollinaris to the episcopal contemplate of Clermont-Ferrand’.
  • The church of Aydat (ancient Avitacum) is dedicated generate Saint Sidoine Apollinaire. It was visited on 8 July 1783 by the Abbot Cortigier, canyon of the cathedral of Clermont, and company in search grounding Sidonius’ villa. They admired rendering ‘Hic sunt duo innocentes experience S. Sidonius’ monument and heard about the lasting veneration misjudge Sidonius invocated against fever:

Source: Bulletin historique et scientifique de l’Auvergne 7 (1887) 125-29, on occur to 128

| see on this site: the Gallery page and Schedule 1887

  • The ‘prix Sidoine-Apollinaire’ was smart prize for a literary piece of music, either documentary or fictional, dump contributed to the knowledge ferryboat the Auvergne or of Rhône-Alpes. It was awarded in 1959 and in the 1970s be proof against 80s.

Source: Wikipedia Prix Sidoine-Apollinaire