Desiderius of Cahors

bishop|590-655 AD|Cahors
Desiderius of Cahors (Saint Didier, c. 580/590-655) was a Frankish aristocrat-turned-bishop of the Merovingian period who served at the courts of kings Chlothar II and Dagobert I before being appointed bishop of Cahors in Aquitaine around 630. Trained in royal administration and drawn from the same Gallo-Roman senatorial milieu as figures like Gregory of Tours, he was a vigorous builder who restored his cathedral city's walls, aqueduct, and churches. His surviving letter collection, preserved as the Epistulae Desiderii Cadurcensis, is one of the most important documents of the seventh-century West: it shows the persistence of a literate, classicizing epistolary culture and a network of bishops and courtiers maintaining Roman-style amicitia in the post-imperial Frankish kingdoms, and is a key source for the survival of Latin learning between Late Antiquity and the Carolingian age.
36
Letters sent
0
Letters received
36
Total letters
10
Correspondents

Top correspondents

All letters (36)

To King Ethelred of Northumbriac. 632 AD

The years I spent at your court, in the service of the royal treasury and in the confidence of your counselors, were...

desiderius cahors #1
To Queen Hereulevac. 635 AD

The queen's reputation for generosity toward the works of God has preceded her, and I write with some confidence...

desiderius cahors #2
To Caesarius of Clermontc. 635 AD

Your last letter raised the question of how to handle clergy who prove, after ordination, to have misrepresented...

desiderius cahors #11
To Caesarius of Clermontc. 635 AD

To my most holy brother Caesarius,

desiderius cahors #12
To Caesarius of Clermontc. 635 AD

To the most holy Caesarius,

desiderius cahors #13
To Caesarius of Clermontc. 635 AD

To my dear brother Caesarius,

desiderius cahors #14
To Caesarius of Clermontc. 635 AD

To the most holy Caesarius, my dear brother,

desiderius cahors #15
To Abbo, Bishop of Metzc. 640 AD

The friendship between our sees is old, and I write on its strength to ask for help that I could not ask of a stranger.

desiderius cahors #3
To Chlodulfc. 640 AD

The reputation of your family for piety and for the honest service of the Frankish kingdom is well known throughout...

desiderius cahors #4
To Bishop Caesarius of Clermontc. 640 AD

I have long wanted to write to you, both because the distance between our sees is not so great that regular...

desiderius cahors #5
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 640 AD

To my dear brother in Christ,

desiderius cahors #21
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 640 AD

To my brother in the pastoral ministry,

desiderius cahors #22
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 641 AD

To my dear brother in Christ,

desiderius cahors #23
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 641 AD

To my dear friend and colleague,

desiderius cahors #24
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 641 AD

To my brother in the faith,

desiderius cahors #25
To Abbot Bertrandc. 642 AD

To my beloved son in Christ, the Abbot Bertrand, greetings in the Lord,

desiderius cahors #6
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 642 AD

To my dear colleague,

desiderius cahors #26
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 642 AD

To my brother in the episcopal ministry,

desiderius cahors #27
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 642 AD

To my dear friend in the faith,

desiderius cahors #28
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 643 AD

To my brother in Christ,

desiderius cahors #29
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 643 AD

To my dear brother,

desiderius cahors #30
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 643 AD

To my brother in the ministry,

desiderius cahors #31
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 644 AD

To my dear friend,

desiderius cahors #32
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 644 AD

To my dear brother in Christ,

desiderius cahors #33
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 644 AD

To my dear colleague,

desiderius cahors #34
To Paul, Bishop of Verdunc. 645 AD

The years pass more quickly than I expected when I was young, and I find myself increasingly grateful for the...

desiderius cahors #7
To Dado , Bishop of Rouenc. 645 AD

Friendship is one of the great goods of this life, and the friendship between bishops — who share the same calling,...

desiderius cahors #8
To Grimoald Ic. 645 AD

The reputation of your family for the support of the church and for genuine Christian piety has made your name known...

desiderius cahors #16
To Grimoald Ic. 645 AD

To the most noble Grimoald,

desiderius cahors #17
To Grimoald Ic. 645 AD

To the most noble Grimoald,

desiderius cahors #18
To Grimoald Ic. 645 AD

To the most noble Grimoald, my dear friend in Christ,

desiderius cahors #19
To Grimoald Ic. 645 AD

To the most noble Grimoald,

desiderius cahors #20
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 645 AD

To my dear brother bishop,

desiderius cahors #35
To Merovingian Correspondentc. 645 AD

To my dear friend in Christ,

desiderius cahors #36
To Eligius, Bishop of Noyonc. 648 AD

The letter you sent about your work among the Flemish peoples reached me and gave me a mixture of admiration and...

desiderius cahors #9
To Bishop Sulpicius of Bourgesc. 650 AD

I am, I confess, somewhat in awe of your tenure at Bourges.

desiderius cahors #10