Apollinaris, Bishop of Valence: Biography, Vita, Cult

Introduction. Apollinaris, bishop of Valence, was the brother of the famous Avitus of Vienne, but his biography is practically limited by that. Apollinaris was canonized in Merovingian times, and the only source that can expand our knowledge is the Life of Apollinaris. This hagiographical text about the last years of the life of Apollinaris reached our time. The Life was first published in the 17th century and was considered a reliable Merovingian text, but in the 19th century, the German researcher B. Krusch suggested that it was a Carolingian forgery. In this connection it is necessary to analyse the authenticity of the Life and the relevance of the information it contains about the bishop’s own personal history and cult. Methods and materials. The study of the Life has been carried out on the method of critical analysis and the biographical method. Analysis. A critical analysis of the Life, along with verification of its dating and the reliability of the data concerning the time of the saint’s lifetime, has enabled the refutation of B. Krusch’s arguments, which asserted that the text was a Carolingian forgery. The author compiled the text in the first person and adequately reflected the realities of the early sixth century. The Life was written by a contemporary who personally accompanied the saint on his journey to Arles and Marseilles. This trip was made after the Burgundian king Sigismund was overthrown in 523, when the Gallic prefecture of the Ostrogothic kingdom took over Provence up to the Isere River. Since, according to the Life, Apollinaris died soon after this journey, it is possible to assume that the death of the saint himself occurred around 524–525. Results. The Life of Apollinaris is a reliable source and is an example of Merovingian hagiography of the mid-6th century. This text allows us to reconstruct the last years of Apollinaris’ life and to determine the time of his bishopric as 490/491–524/525. In addition, the Life demonstrates that the cult of St. Apollinaris began to develop immediately after the saint’s death.