ON ST. ANSILIO, MONK AND CONFESSOR,
AT LAGNY IN THE DIOCESE OF PARIS
TOWARDS THE END OF THE 7TH CENTURY.
SYLLOGE.
From the Martyrology of Paris and other sacred Fasti.
Ansilio, monk and confessor, at Lagny in the diocese of Paris. (S.)
BY C. B.
At Lagny, of which notice is here given, that the Saint was a monk Lagny, a place which was situated in the district of Brie on the river Marne, six leagues above Paris, Erchinoald, mayor of the palace in Gaul, or, as he is also called, patrician of the Franks, granted to St. Fursey, the 7th century not yet having passed its middle; and he built there, as is understood from our Work at the 16th day of January, on which St. Fursey is venerated, and from the enlarged Gallia Christiana, volume 7, column 490, a monastery which even today is named Lagny from that place. In this sacred house of ascetics — which has a town of the same name adjoined to it, and now belongs to the diocese of Paris and to the Order of St. Benedict — St. Ansilio, of whom we are to treat here, or, as he is also found called, Amsilo or Amsilio, is judged to have been first a monk and then also Prior. So, namely, I am made to think by the Martyrology of Paris, which came out in print at Paris in the year 1727, as announcing today this our saint in these following words: At Lagny, of St. Ansilio, monk of that convent and afterwards Prior. I find indeed no ancient monument by which what this announcement insinuates could be confirmed even in any way; but neither does any occur by which it could be overthrown.
[2] Besides, since those who composed the Martyrology of Paris In the Martyrology of Paris, nor, as it appears, were certainly not far from Lagny, and could therefore easily inquire into matters pertaining to Ansilio, they most probably learned what they publish of him in the announcement just transcribed here from genuine and sound information supplied to them by that monastery; and since it is so, there is surely reason why it should be judged by us too, on the authority and credit of the same Martyrology, that Ansilio was first a monk and then also Prior at Lagny, nay, and that he ceased to live towards the end of the 7th century, as the praised Martyrology of Paris further indicates by a little note set in the margin. The people of Lagny indeed, questioned about St. Ansilio and his cult and relics towards the end of the century just elapsed, at the instance of our Papebroch, seem to have insinuated that these had at some time been brought to them from elsewhere — whence someone may perhaps argue that the saint was not a monk at Lagny — from what, as we shall see afterwards, the praised Papebroch writes at the second day of June among the Passed Over, speaking of St. Ansilio and some other Saints; but since they added that the papers which could have taught what was to be believed about the relics of St. Ansilio had been burned by the Calvinists together with them, and they were therefore unable to read them, it may not without reason be doubted whether they had thoroughly ascertained what was contained in them, and therefore whether, in insinuating what I have said about the relics of St. Ansilio, they did not stray from the truth.
[3] is wrongly related, Du Saussay indeed, in his Gallican Martyrology at the second day of June, speaks of Ansilio and of the same Saints of whom Papebroch speaks in the place just cited, in these following words: In the convent of Lagny in the district of Paris, the reception of the holy relics of one of the holy Innocents and of the blessed confessors Deodatus, bishop, Maldegarius, Fulbert, Amsilio, and Laubert; and so he too insinuates that the relics of Ansilio or Amsilio were brought to Lagny from elsewhere. But what is here called by Du Saussay a reception of relics is called a translation by Wion and in the Additions of Molanus to Usuard of the year 1583; and no one will deny that this would have had a place even if those relics had not been carried to Lagny from elsewhere, but only there from a less honourable place to a more honourable one. Besides, it may be that, although Ansilio led the monastic Life at Lagny, he nevertheless ended his life and obtained burial elsewhere, whence his sacred remains were afterwards translated to Lagny; so that from these relics, even if they had been translated to the monastery of Lagny from elsewhere, it cannot be inferred against the Martyrology of Paris that Ansilio was not a monk in it.
[4] But if, contrary to what is handed down in this Martyrology, the Saint — whom Castellanus today in his universal Martyrology, and Wion and Dorganius at the second day of June in their monastic hagiologies, call a monk, the place where he was a monk not being expressed — perhaps truly led the monastic Life in a monastery and was at one time religiously preserved there different from that of Lagny, anyone will nevertheless easily gather from what has just been said, and it will further become plain from what is now to be said, that his sacred remains, though perhaps brought there from elsewhere, were at some time preserved at Lagny. The translation of St. Ansilio or Amsilio and of some other Saints in the monastery of Lagny is marked at the second day of June in the Additions of Molanus to Usuard of the year 1583, written in smaller character; and the same is also done by Wion, who adds that Amsilio and two others of those Saints were monks, in the monastic Martyrology; but since Ménard, a monk of the same Benedictine Order as the people of Lagny, writing at Paris and therefore only six leagues from Lagny, nowhere mentions either those Saints or even Ansilio alone, and moreover Du Saussay — who, himself also living at Paris, could most easily have inquired into the matters pertaining to Ansilio and the rest of the said Saints — commemorates them in smaller character, as though among the Passed Over, in the words transcribed above, it may surely with good reason be doubted both whether they enjoy ecclesiastical cult at Lagny and whether their relics were ever translated there and therefore also preserved there.
[5] is venerated with an annual feast, and that from antiquity. Papebroch saw this; and therefore, not daring to pronounce anything certain unless he were better informed beforehand about the whole matter, he took care that it be diligently inquired into among the people of Lagny; and so, as he himself teaches in volume 1 of June of our Work, page 157, among the Passed Over, he understood that the relics of the said Saints, and by name of St. Ansilio, had formerly been preserved at Lagny, but had been burned by the Calvinists together with the papers which would have taught whence and when or how they had been brought there. Besides, he learned at the same time that the feasts of each of those Saints are nonetheless celebrated every year at Lagny on the days which he assigns; wherefore, since he presently assigns to the annual feast of Ansilio among the people of Lagny this very present day, the 11th of October, on which Ansilio is marked not only in the Martyrology of Paris but also in the universal Martyrology of Castellanus, and since it appears not to be doubted in any way that it was constantly celebrated among them from a time immemorial before the year 1634, and that without interruption, I could not but bring him into our Work here, to be assigned, as I think, to the end of the seventh century with the Martyrology of Paris, from which Castellanus, binding Ansilio to the 8th century, does not differ much, although in the meantime almost everything which pertains to him lies wholly in obscurity.