Dr. John (Ellsworth) Hutchison-Hall

Eastern Orthodox Christian theologian, historian, philosopher, and cultural commentator.

            

Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism See of Rome

AUSTREBERTA, a native of northern France. St. Austreberta fled her home to avoid being forced into an arranged marriage. She received monastic tonsure from St. Omer (9th September) at Abbeville. In her later years, St. Austreberta served as the first Abbess of Pavilly, where she reposed in 704.

BALDEGUNDIS, a sixth century Abbess of Saint-Croix Abbey in Poitiers. St. Baldegundis reposed circa 580.

DESIDERATUS (DÉSIRÉ), (Sixth Century), the 19th Bishop of Clermont succeeding St. Avitus (21st August). No further information on St. Desideratus is extant.

ERLUPH, a native of either Scotland or Ireland, St. Erluph went to Saxony to evangelise, and was later consecrated Bishop of Werden. In 830, St. Erluph was martyred by pagans.

MARTYRS of ROME, ten soldiers martyred on the Via Lavicana in Rome circa 250. Of the ten, Amantius, Hyacinth, Irenaeus, and Zoticus, are the only names that have come down to us.

MEREWENNA (MÆRWYNN, MERWINNA), of noble Irish birth, she was the first Abbess of Romsey in Hampshire after its restoration under King Edgar the Peaceful (r. 959–975). Under her leadership, the monastery prospered and even attracted royalty, including Princess St. Elfleda (8th February). St. Merewenna reposed circa 970.

PROTHADIUS (PROTAGIUS), a seventh century Bishop of Besançon in Gaul. St. Prothadius succeeded St. Nicetius (8th February) circa 614. He reposed in 624.

SALVIUS, an Abbot at Albelda in northern Aragon. St. Salvius reposed in 962.

SCHOLASTICA, twin sister of St. Benedict (11th July). St. Scholastica is considered the first female Benedictine and led a community in Plombariola near Monte Cassino, reposing circa 543. St. Gregory the Dialogist (3rd September), in his Life and Miracles of St. Benedict (Book Two of the Dialogues), says that St. Benedict saw her soul ascend to heaven in the form of a dove.

SILVANUS, (Date Unknown), most likely a Bishop of Terracina, which is midway between Rome and Naples. The Martyrologium Hieronymianum lists him as a Confessor. Nothing further is known about St. Silvanus.

SOTERIS, a young Roman maiden, who, during the Diocletianic Persecution was arrested, tortured, and then put to death. On more than one occasion St. Ambrose of Milan (7th December) used the story of her life and martyrdom and an example Milanese maidens should strive to emulate.

TRUMWIN, consecrated by St. Theodore of Canterbury (19th September) as Bishop of the Southern Picts in Scotland, St. Trumwin was a close friend of St. Cuthbert (26th October). According to St. Bede the Venerable (25th May), he was in attendance at the Synod on the Alne (684). He suffered greatly in his work amongst the Picts, and often had to flee from province to province. When the Picts overran his monastery, St. Trumwin retired to Whitby, where he served as spiritual father to the nuns there under St. Elfleda (8th February), reposing in the beginning of the eighth century.

Prior to the Schism the Patriarchate of Rome was Orthodox, and fully in communion with the Orthodox Church. As Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco +1966 said “The West was Orthodox for a thousand years, and her venerable Liturgy is far older than any of her heresies”.

Details of British Saints excerpted from Orthodox Saints of the British Isles.
Details of continental saints from these sources.

In many cases there are several spelling versions of the names of saints from the British Isles. I use the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography version as the primary version with the more prevalent version in parenthesis e.g. Ceadda (Chad) of Lichfield.