Desiderius of Vienne

Who was Desiderius of Vienne?

Desiderius of Vienne was archbishop of Vienne and a chronicler.

In conflict with Brunhilda of Austrasia, the legitimacy of whose children he had attacked, he was deposed in 603 when she combined forces with Aridius, bishop of Lyon. He was stoned to death, some years later, at the order of King Theuderic II of Burgundy.

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.

He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, with his feast days on February 11 and May 23. A hagiographical work was written about him by the Visigothic king Sisebuto, during the 7th century. A later life was written by Ado of Vienne.