Biography
Simplicius of Bourges
About Simplicius of Bourges
Simplicius came to the leadership of the church of Bourges after a career in civic life. He was married and had children. Sidonius Apollinaris, who recommended him as bishop, praised his hospitality and his experience representing the city before rulers.
Sidonius also remembered an earlier act of generosity: while still a young official supporting a family, Simplicius had paid for a church from his own resources. Sidonius praised both parents for their sons’ education and described Simplicius as loyal in difficulty and modest in prosperity. These are the words of an advocate for his appointment.
The election took place amid serious disagreement. In his study of the proceedings, Johannes van Waarden describes competing clerical and lay interests in a city affected by Visigothic power. Sidonius sought the support of bishops from neighboring provinces and persuaded the local community to accept his choice.
Van Waarden places the election around 470, while discussing the uncertainty of its exact date. His commentary distinguishes this occasion from the later events surrounding the surrender of Clermont. Simplicius and Sidonius both subsequently experienced exile under the Visigothic king Euric. Their careers were joined in Sidonius’s later presentation of his letters.
Van Waarden argues that Sidonius used the account of Bourges to show himself as an effective bishop working with his colleagues. His portrait of Simplicius also favored the continued leadership of the Gallo-Roman governing class within the Church.
The Catholic Church in Norway commemorates Simplicius on 16 June. Its biography records differing dates for the end of his episcopate, leaving his final chronology uncertain.
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