Aeonius of Arles, St.
AEONIUS OF ARLES, ST.
Bishop; fl. 494–500. Little is known of his life before he became bishop and metropolitan of Arles on Aug. 23, 494. On Sept. 29, 500, he was succeeded at his own request by his friend caesarius of arles, with whom he had founded Châlon-sur-Saône. Two important items were settled during his episcopacy, the diocesan boundary with Vienne and the primacy of the See of Arles (Jaffé K 753, 754). Popes anastasius iii and Symmachus corresponded with him on traducianism and the date of Easter in certain doubtful cases (Jaffé 751, 754). There are also letters to him from Ruricius I of Limoges (d. 507; PL 58:87, 97). Aeonius contributed much to the development of monasticism in France and was instrumental in bringing Caesarius to Arles. His name does not appear in the Roman Martyrology.
Feast: Aug. 18.
Bibliography: Monumenta Germaniae Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum (Berlin) 3:460–462, 469. Patrologia Latina 67:1005–06. Sancti Caesarii opera omnia, ed. g. morin, 2 v. in 3 (Maredsous 1937–42) 2:300. e. ewig, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 1:683. g. bardy, Catholicisme 4:279–280. p. jaffÉ, Regesta pontificum romanorum ab condita eclesia ad annum post Christumnatum 1198, ed. f. kaltenbrunner (Graz 1956).
[t. p. halton]