The image of the Merovingian bishop in the poetry of Venantius Fortunatus

Abstract

The sixth-century Latin poet Venantius Fortunatus has left us over three hundred works which constitute a valuable historical source for sixth-century Gaul. His collected works contain a number of episcopal panegyrics as well as metrical epitaphs for bishops' tombs and commemorative verse designed for inscription on walls or church plate. This source material has much to contribute to the modern debate about the power and prestige of the Merovingian bishop. By drawing out the significance of acts of episcopal piety and benefaction Fortunatus sought to mould and guide public opinion in support of the bishop. As a consequence there crystallises in Fortunatus' verse an image of the ideal bishop as the loved first citizen of his urban community. Yet we must remember that we are dealing with literary productions that were specifically designed to magnify the bishop's status. Rather than enjoying that plentitude of power that has sometimes been claimed for the bishop, recent studies have stressed the insecure nature of his power base and his need to rally public support. It is suggested here that the Merovingian bishop who stood in need of public affirmation of his status found in Fortunatus' panegyrical and inscriptional poems a useful bolster to his social standing.