Sidonius Apollinaris (430–489)
Born 430 CE, died 489 CE.
Gaius Sollius Modestus Apollinaris Sidonius, better known as Sidonius Apollinaris (5 November, c. 430 – 481/490 AD), was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Born into the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, he was son-in-law of Emperor Avitus and was appointed Urban prefect of Rome by Emperor Anthemius in 468. In 469 he was appointed Bishop of Clermont and he led the defence of the city against attacks from the armies of Euric, King of the Visigoths, from 473 to 475. He regained his position as bishop, after the city's conquest, and retained it until his death in the 480s. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic church, the Orthodox Church, and the True Orthodox Church, with his feast day on 21 August. Sidonius wrote significant poetry, including panegyrics on different emperors, for which he was honored in his time: with a bronze statue in the libraries of Trajan's Forum, as comes, and by being made Patrician and Senator. A large number of his letters also survive, making him "the single most important surviving author from 5th-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg.
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