Biography
Florentius of Cahors
About Florentius of Cahors
Florentius served as bishop of Cahors around the turn of the fifth century. His memory is connected with the correspondence of Paulinus of Nola. The Catholic Encyclopedia identifies him as the first historically known bishop of Cahors; that is a statement about the surviving evidence, rather than proof that the community had no earlier bishop.
A possible family connection places him within a wider circle of Christian correspondence. Jerzy Szafranowski’s scholarly account of Paulinus’s letters to the priest Alethius notes that three manuscripts describe Alethius as Florentius’s brother. The identification is treated as probable. These letters concern Alethius, so his request for Paulinus’s writing should not be presented as an action of Florentius himself.
The Martyrology preserves Paulinus’s praise of his humility, gracious speech and strength in God’s grace.
Nominis places him among the earliest bishops of Cahors, in the late fourth or early fifth century, and lists his local Catholic commemoration on July 4. The notice does not establish his birth or death year. His surviving outline is brief, but the connection with Paulinus distinguishes him from other bishops named Florentius.
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