FILOCALO, FURIO DIONISIO. - Renowned calligrapher of the 4th century. His name appears at the head of the calendar with which the collection of the Chronographer of 354 (v.) begins. In the loops of a tablet is written Furius Dionisius Filocalus titulavit and on the tablet itself Valentine lege feliciter, and furthermore Valentine vivas floreas gaudeas in Deo. This Valentine must be identified with the one who, after having been tribunus protectorum ex primicerio, became in 349 dux Illyrici and in 365 consularis Piceni. He was a Christian, as the good wish addressed to him by F. indicates. The latter must also have been his friend, as is evident from the manner of the dedication, himself also a Christian and of no low fortune, as is evident from the polyonymy and from the friendship that bound him to Pope Damasus.
For Damasus, in fact, he engraved his celebrated epigraphs in most elegant characters invented by himself, admirable for their solemnity and classical perfection of taste, against the dominant usage of his time. Beside some of them has been written: Damasi papae cultur adque amator Furius Dionysius Filocalus scriptis. And it is precisely this characteristic type of lettering that serves to make the work of F. easily recognizable to us, and also that of Damasus. Since it then ceases shortly after 382, the death of F. must have occurred at that time.
It is disputed what exact part F. had in the compilation of the Chronographer of 354. It seems certain that at least the calendar is entirely his work and especially its rich decoration (edited by J. Straygowski, Die Kalenderbilder des Chronographen vom Jahre 354, Berlin 1888). The other parts of the collection were copied and brought up to date by his assistants, and then bound together into a single historical-chronological manual for the use of Valentine, and therefore F. had only a directing part in it.