Hierarch 6th century

Maurilius of Cahors

died 580

Also known as Maurilius, Bishop of Cahors

Bishop of Cahors in Gaul, said to have known all of Scripture by heart (d. 580)

Feast Day
September 3
Draft
Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.
Commemorated as

Saint Maurilius, Bishop of Cahors

Life

Maurilius, also recorded under the form Maurille, was a sixth-century bishop of Cahors in Aquitaine, in what is now southwestern France. He belongs to the line of pre-schism Western hierarchs whom the Orthodox tradition numbers among the saints of the undivided Church. Sources for his life are sparse, and little is preserved beyond his office, his reputation for scriptural learning, and the year of his death.

The tradition consistently records that Maurilius was known for knowing the whole of Scripture by heart, and that he was able to recite passages entirely from memory. This memorization of the sacred text is the single feature for which he is chiefly remembered. He is reported to have died in the year 580.

Maurilius is placed in the episcopal succession of Cahors among its sixth-century bishops. The first historically attested bishop of the see was Florentius, a correspondent of Paulinus of Nola at the end of the fourth century; later bishops included Alithus in the fifth century and, in the sixth, Maurilius alongside Ursinicus. His feast is observed on September 3, though some Western martyrologies record a commemoration on January 10.

Timeline 2 moments Read Hide
  1. 6th century Bishop of Cahors Maurilius is numbered among the sixth-century bishops of the see of Cahors in Aquitaine.
  2. 580 Repose Maurilius is recorded to have died in this year.

Contributions & Legacy

1 contributions Read Hide

Knowledge of Scripture

The detail preserved most firmly in the tradition is that Maurilius committed the entire Bible to memory and could recite its passages from memory. This reputation for scriptural mastery, rather than any recorded miracle or controversy, is what carried his name forward in the catalogues of saints.

Sources: Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome