Aibert (or Aybert) of Crespin, (also Aibert of Tournai) was a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

and

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

revered for his intense life of prayer,

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

and devotion to

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

. His biography was written by a contemporary, Robert, Archdeacon of Oostrevand.

Life

Aibert was born in 1060 in the village of Espain in the

Diocese of Tournai The Diocese of Tournai () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. The diocese was formed in 1146, upon the dissolution of the Diocese of Noyon and Tournai, which had existed since the 7th century ...

, in present-day

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. His father was a knight, Aldbald of Espen, near Tournai. Baring-Gould, Sabine. ''The lives of the saints'', London, John Hodges. 1873
/ref> Aibert fasted frequently, eating only bread or an apple when working in the fields.Butler 1866, 71 Moved by a wandering

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enter ...

singing a lament about

Theobald of Provins Theobald of Provins () (1033–1066) was a French hermit and saint. Biography He was born at Provins to the French nobility, his father being Arnoul, Count of Champagne.François Verdier, ''Saints de Provins et comtes de Champagne. Essai sur ...

, Aibert began to live a life of asceticism under the direction of a hermit named John who lived in a wood near

Crespin Abbey Crespin Abbey () was a Rule of St Benedict, Benedictine monastery in the commune of Crespin, Nord, Crespin in the Nord (French department), department of Nord, France, founded around 648 by the reformed brigand Landelin, Landelin of Crespin, also ...

. While Aibert and John shared a single cell, they survived primarily on uncooked herbs and, occasionally, bread. "They chose to eat neither foods of animal origins, nor foods that had been cooked."Roberts, Holly. ''Vegetarian Christian Saints'', Anjeli Press, 2004, p. 189
/ref> Aibert joined the abbot on a pilgrimage to Rome, and upon his return in 1090, entered the monastery, becoming a Benedictine. He spent twenty-five years at Crespin Abbey, being selected as

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

and cellarer.Bunson, Matthew et al., ''Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints'', Huntington, Indiana. OSV, 2003, p. 50 Aibert was known for his veneration of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and is reported to have said 150

Hail Mary The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the ...

s daily, 100 with genuflexions and 50 with prostrations. (At that time, the Hail Mary consisted of: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.") In 1115, Aibert was allowed to return to the solitary life of a hermit. Aibert built a hermitage in the wilderness and was sought out by those seeking spiritual advice and healing. Sometime after returning to the wilderness, Aibert was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Burchard of Cambrai.Butler 1866, 72 Aibert is noted to have said two Masses each day, one for the living and one for the dead.Monks of Ramsgate. "Aibert". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 13 May 2012
/ref> He died in 1140 at the age of 80. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is April 7.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aibert 12th-century Christian saints 12th-century Christian mystics Belgian Roman Catholic saints Belgian hermits Belgian Benedictines Benedictine mystics 1060 births 1140 deaths Raw foodists