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Ardo Smaragdus
hagiographer
SaintResearchedCarolingian EmpireBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 7 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
783
Died
843
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Ardo Smaragdus entered the monastery of Aniane as a boy under St Benedict of Aniane, was ordained and put in charge of its school, and accompanied his abbot to the Council of Frankfurt in 794.
In 814 he succeeded Benedict as abbot, and wrote his Life, one of the most reliable of the period. He died at Aniane in March 843 and was honoured as a saint in his monastery.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A monk and teacher honoured as a saint by his own community.
Connected on this site
- Benedict of Aniane Saint“He entered the monastery of Aniane in Hérault as a boy, probably as an oblate, and was brought up by Benedict of Aniane.” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Smaragdus
- Wikidata Q1238544 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Ardo Smaragdus (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.