Cannabaceae

Saint Ardo Smaragdus
DiedMarch 843
Aniane, Hérault, France
Feast7 March[1]

Ardo Smaragdus (died March 843 AD) was a hagiographer. He entered the monastery of Aniane in Hérault as a boy, probably as an oblate,[2] and was brought up by Saint Benedict of Aniane. He was ordained a priest and made head of the monastery school.[3]

In 794, he accompanied Benedict to the Council of Frankfurt. and in 814, he replaced Benedict as abbot after the latter joined the imperial court at Aix-la-Chapelle.[3]

Smaragdus wrote a life of St. Benedict of Aniane in 822, one of the most reliable hagiological productions of that period. He himself was honored as a saint at his monastery after his death.[3]

References[edit]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainHerbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ardo Smaragdus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Editions[edit]

  • Ardo Smaragdus, Vita, Migne's Patrologia Latina, 103:353 sqq.;
  • Cabaniss, Allen, trans. Benedict of Aniane: The Emperor's Monk, Ardo's Life. Foreword by Annette Grabowsky and Clemens Radl. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 2008. Pp. 112.

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