Dr. John (Ellsworth) Hutchison-Hall

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

            

Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism See of Rome

ADALGIS (ADELGIS, ALGIS) of THIÉRARCHE, a disciple of St. Fursey (16th January) originally from Ireland who worked to enlighten the areas of Arras and Laon in Picardy (France). St. Adalgis also founded a small monastery at Thiérarche in Picardy, where the village of Saint Algis is today. St. Adalgis reposed circa 686.

BODFAN (BOBOUAN) of WALES, (Seventh Century), St. Bodfan is the patron saint of Abern (present-day Abergwyngregyn in Gwynedd) Wales, believed to have lived at some point in the seventh century. There are no particulars of his life extant, aside from the tradition that he, along with his father and other members of his family, were impelled to embrace monastic life following the great flood that created Beaumaris Bay.

ERASMUS (ELMO, ERARMO, ERMO) of FORMIAE, a Bishop of Formiae in Campania (south-western Italy) who was martyred circa 303 by disembowelment during the Diocletianic Persecution. According to one legend, St. Erasmus continued preaching when a bolt of lightning struck the ground beside him. Sailors took to asking for his intervention during electrical storms, leading to electrical discharges over the sea being called 'St Elmo's fire'.

EUGENE, seventy-fifth Pope of Rome (655–657). St. Eugene acted as Vicar for his predecessor, Pope St. Martin I (13th April), during St. Martin’s exile. When word of St. Martin’s martyrdom reached Rome, St. Eugene was quickly chosen to succeed him. St. Eugene is best remembered for his pastoral care and charity, especially for those most in need. He also skilfully and courageously fought the Monothelite heresy. St. Eugene reposed in 657.

MARCELLINUS and PETER the EXORCIST, a priest and exorcist respectively, martyred during the Diocletianic Persecution just outside of Rome. 304 is recorded as the year of their martyrdom.

MARTYRS of LYONS and VIENNE, a group of forty-eight Christians martyred around Lyon, Vienne, and environs (France). During the persecutions under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180), pagan mobs set upon them, and brought them to the authorities to be tried for their faith. All were convicted and sentenced to die is various ways over the year of 177. Most of the names of these martyrs have been lost to time, though these few have survived: Alexander, Attalus, Biblis (Biblides), Blandina, Cominus, Epagathus, Maturus, Photinus (Pothinus), Ponticus, Sanctius (Sanctus), and Vetius.

NICHOLAS PEREGRINUS (the PILGRIM), while still a teenager, St. Nicholas moved from Greece to Apulia Italy. There he roamed the streets carrying a cross, and crying 'Kyrie eleison'. As he wandered many followed and chanting along with him, especially children, though most people looked upon him as being mentally ill, not realising he was in fact a Fool-for-Christ. Following his repose in 1094, at only nineteen years of age, countless miracles took place at his grave, and even the most sceptical realised he was indeed a saint.

ODA (ODO) the GOOD, St. Oda the Good was born in East Anglia, England to Danish pagan parents. At some point, he embraced Christianity and received monastic tonsure at the Abbey of Saint Benedict on the Loire (l’abbaye de Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - Fleury Abbey) in Gaul (France). After returning to England he was consecrated Bishop of Ramsbury in 927, and in 942 was made the 22nd Archbishop of Canterbury. As Archbishop, he played a prominent role under Kings Edmund I (r. 939–946) and St. Edgar the Peaceful (r. 957–975) (8th July). St. Oda was very active in restoring the cathedral buildings and in raising the morals and discipline of the clergy. He was also a staunch defender of the privileges of the Church, thus paving the way for monastic restoration under SS. Dunstan (19th May), Oswald (28th February), St. Oda's nephew, and Æthelwold (1st August). All of this earned him the title “The Good”. St. Oda reposed 2nd June 959, which is the common Feast date on the Orthodox calendar, though on many older Western calendars it is listed as 4th July.

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.