Desiderius of Vienne (died 607) was a martyred archbishop of Vienne and a chronicler.
Life Nothing is known about his early years. In 603, in a conflict with Brunhilda of Austrasia, the legitimacy of whose children he had attacked,Edward James, The Origins of France (1982), p. 139. he was deposed after she combined forces with Aridius, bishop of Lyon. He was stoned to death, some years later,Jo Ann McNamara, John E. Halborg, E. Gordon Whatley, Sainted Women of the Dark Ages (1992), p. 121. at the order of King Theuderic II of Burgundy.May 23 . The Roman Martyrology.
He was rebuked by Gregory the Great for his interest in the pagan classics, in a letter provoked by the schooling he was providing for his clergy.Gian Biagio Conte, Latin Literature: A History (1994 translation), p. 718.
Veneration He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, with his feast days on May 26.Roman Martyrology In the Eastern Orthodox Church, his feast is celebrated on May 23. A hagiographical work was written about him by the Visigothic king Sisebuto, during the 7th century.E.g. Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization (2006), p. 166; Jacques Fontaine, "King Sisebut's Vita Desiderii and the Political Function of Visigothic Hagiography." in Visigothic Spain (1980). ed. Edward James A later life was written by Ado of Vienne.
Notes