Tibi laus perennis, auctor: un inno di Venanzio Fortunato?

Abstract This paper examines the authorship of the hymn in iambic dimeters Tibi laus perennis, auctor. It first considers the attribution to Venantius Fortunatus found in a ninth-century manuscript. A metrical analysis, comparing the hymn with Fortunatus’ two authentic poems in iambic dimeters (Carm. 1.16 and 2.6), reveals notable similarities that distinguish Tibi laus from the other spurious poems of the Appendix. The study then assesses stylistic elements aligned with Fortunatus’ usus scribendi, including patterns of rhyme, figures of speech, recurring expressions and themes. Furthermore, the paper situates the hymn in sixth-century Gaul, with particular attention to its possible genesis in relation to the bishops of Paris, Germain and Ragnemod. The role of Gregory of Tours in the poem’s composition or dissemination is also considered. An appendix proposes two textual emendations (apparavit, l. 17; udat, l. 27).