ON ST. AARON THE MONK,
ON A LITTORAL ISLAND OF ARMORICAN BRITAIN.
6TH CENTURY
HISTORICAL COLLECTION.
On the cult, age, and place of his anchoritism.
Aaron the Monk, on the Armorican coast (St.)
D. P.
Of the Bishop of Alet St. Machutes or Maclovius the Life, on the 15th of November to be illustrated, in all everywhere copies furnishes us of the aforetitled Saint knowledge; Known from the Life of St. Machutes, and from his name asserts to be named the island which he inhabited, and where to have been buried it is right to believe, and a cult even now its own to have. He had certainly it under the rite of a Semidouble in the nearest Alet or Maclovian Church, commonly Saint Malo called, although not also in the rest of the diocese as to us it is established from the Breviary, by order of John du Bec the Bishop revised about the year 1603. Afterward however the rite was increased: for we have proper Offices of the Saints of the Maclovian Church, without the year indeed of impression, and to this church the Relics being translated, but with such a character, that easily it appears than the aforecited Breviary a more recent impression to be, where it is said, that on the 22nd of June is held the Office of St. Aaron, Abbot Confessor: the body to have raised St. Machutes, and to have translated it into his Cathedral in a sepulchre or monument high above the earth eminent: but afterward the head and arm in silver cases precious were enclosed, among the other of the same Cathedral Relics to be kept. Thus Albert le Grand, in the work on the Saints of Armorican Britain to this day, from the aforesaid about the same Saint Lessons, where this only is read: "Whose in the Maclovian church Relics Most sacrosanct, the head and arm among the other members with gold and silver fortified, honorably rest."
[2] It is thought St. Machutes a Bishop to have been instituted, at Alet of his age in the year 40, of Christ 541; which now we cannot from his Life define. he flourished in the 6th century This we have from two of the best note manuscripts of the Monasteries of La Sauve-Majeure in the Bordeaux, and of Vauluisant in the Sens dioceses: and in it only is read, that the Saint, wishing with his companions of pious purpose to cross the sea, found nothing but the workmanship of a certain ship, of men indeed empty, and the Saint himself the island received, but of Christ in corporal appearance presentially full: for Christ, under a man's appearance, in that very ship appeared: at whose inviting and persuading entered that ship blessed Machutes and his companions. But during the sailing that man, but in very truth Christ the Lord who was seen, asked Blessed Machutes, whither he had deliberated to sail across. He answered himself this not to know, except whither him the Lord should deign to direct. Saying this he was ignorant him, with whom he spoke, Christ to be. To whom said the Lord: There is an island in this sea, which a certain inhabits Monk, by name Aaron: to this one you I will direct through my Angel, indicating to him you affectionately and honestly to receive.
[3] Forthwith as this he heard … Machutes, understood not only the man who spoke, Living there a solitary, but of Angels and of men the maker: and without any hesitation and delay he fell at his feet, and adored him. The Lord moreover ceased immediately to appear to the sight of him. Then by a prosperous navigation directed to the island, from the name of Aaron the Monk named; he was received by that Aaron the Monk most dutifully and humanely treated: and he stayed with him … so long, until the Episcopate of the city of Britain, which is called Alet, to him divinely was opened and destined: for not was that city far from the island of Aaron. Thus far that Life; nor any further about Aaron word: whom thus far a Solitary there to have lived to the aforecited text more conformable it is, than that (as in the aforesaid Lessons it is said) St. Maclovius, blessed Aaron being dead and to the heavenly places translated, his monastery to be governed undertook, and with Monks many there gathered increased: for the Author of the Lessons prefaces, that them he received from the Legend of St. Maclovius; in which however that is not found. Meanwhile in the Proper which I said, is given to Aaron the title of Abbot and Confessor.
[4] Enough it be to say, that Aaron to Maclovius and his companions likewise carried afforded the office of spiritual Father; nor rashly to be called Abbot, and to Maclovius after a few of anchoritism
snatched away to the episcopate for some years on the island, spent the remaining years under the discipline of Aaron, as long as the latter lived: whom Bishop Maclovius might already have ordained as abbot, but I would not wish to assert this without a witness, since it was hardly necessary; granted that the place perhaps afterwards received abbots. Nor would I rashly say that, when the body of the dead master was laid to rest, When was the body brought into the city? the disciples were deprived of the Saint: but I should rather believe that translation to have been made in the ninth century, on account of the piratical incursions of the Normans; which nevertheless do not seem to have so desolated the island that it did not afterwards again begin to be inhabited by monks, from whom even now it takes its name, the old name of St. Aaron having been abolished.
[5] Such an island, indeed, is not represented in the topographical map of Armorican Brittany, Is his island Monke or Arem? where only the Island of Sezembre is named, walling off the bay of Aleth with five unnamed crags: but Jansson's hydrographic map, between the city and Jersey, that is, the island of Caesarea, distant five leagues from the shore, marks a shoaly crag under the name Monke, that is, of the Monk, which we may suspect to be Aaron's. There is, however, also between the islands of Guernsey and Alderney, removed almost ten leagues from the shore, another, called Arem; which, since it has some affinity to the name of Aaron, I do not wish to confirm the earlier conjecture, but I leave further illustration of the island sought to those skilled in the Armorican coast. Meanwhile one may wish that someone might present a particular description of the British strait, and of the individual islands in it; one that would be no less convenient for navigators than for historians; for hitherto it is lacking, and the smallest part of Jansson's map is left to the strait, inasmuch as it embraces all the British islands together.