Herifridus

Herifridus (in French Hérifrid or Herfroy) was the thirty-⁠ninth bishop of Auxerre, at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, and he died in October 909. He is called venerable.

He is said to have been born at Chartres, son of Herfroy and Hisemberga, both of noble families of Lower Brittany. He was a relative of Walter, bishop of Orléans (869 to 892). He was tonsured at Chartres, where he received his first instruction at the chapter school, then Walter called him to himself and introduced him to the palace of the emperor Charles the Fat, where he distinguished himself by his seriousness.

When the see of Auxerre fell vacant, the emperor chose Herifridus. He was named in May 887 and consecrated on 29 August at the abbey of Nesle-⁠la-⁠Reposte by Archbishop Walter of Sens, who also installed him at Auxerre on 8 September. In the same year 887 a catastrophic fire reduced a large part of the city to ashes, among other things the cathedral, then made up of three churches side by side, Notre-⁠Dame-⁠de-⁠la-⁠Cité, Saint-⁠Étienne and Saint-⁠Jean, and the bishop's palace. Instead of seeking a residence for himself, Herifridus was content until his death with a small dwelling and had the three churches of the cathedral quarter rebuilt first, and also Saint-⁠Clément, rebuilt only as an oratory. The bishop's palace was restored only by his successor, Gaudry.

He suffered severely from gout in his feet and hands and ended up paralyzed. His episcopate ended, very probably, in 909. He died in October 909, perhaps on the 15th, after much suffering, leaving many gifts to the churches of his diocese. He was buried before the altar of the church of Notre-⁠Dame-⁠de-⁠la-⁠Cité, which he had rebuilt. He attended only one council, that of 891 at Meung-⁠sur-⁠Loire.

He is honored locally as venerable; no Orthodox synodal canonization is known.