Aaron the Monk
Acta Sanctorum, June 22
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://actasanctorum.org/june/day-22/aaron-the-monk.html
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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.
