Dr. John (Ellsworth) Hutchison-Hall

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

            

Home » Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism See of Rome 1st December (NS) — 18th November (OS) 2023


Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism
See of Rome
1st December (NS) — 18th November (OS) 2023

by | 1st December 2023 | Orthodox Western Saints

18th November (OS)

AMANDUS and ANSELM, Abbots of the Abbey of Our Lady of Lérins. St. Amandus reposed in 708, and St. Anselm circa 750.

CONSTANT, an anchorite priest at Lough Erne in Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Various sources state that he was either a martyr or confessor, though no supporting information is extant. He is reputed to have worked many miracles, though again the details are missing. St. Constant reposed 777.

KEVERNE, (Sixth Century), Nothing is known of the life of St. Keverne beyond his friendship with St. Piran of Cornwall (5th March). Some sources speculate they may even be the same person.

Reliquary of St. Maudez. Photo by Moreau.henri (Own work) 110x375px

Reliquary of St. Maudez in the collection the Musée départemental breton de Quimper.
Photo by Moreau.henri (Own work)
[CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

MAUDEZ (MAUDÉ, MODEZ, MAWES), (Sixth Century), a hermit in what is now St Mawes, in Cornwall. St. Maudez emigrated to Brittany where he, along with SS. Budoc of Brittany (8th December) and Tudwal (30th November), founded a monastery. There are in excess of sixty churches dedicated to St. Maudez in Brittany.

MAXIMUS of MAINZ, consecrated the nineteenth Bishop of Mainz in 354. During his episcopacy St. Maximus faced almost constant attack from Arians within his See, until he reposed from exhaustion in 378.

MUMMOLUS (MUMBOLUS, MOMLEOLUS, MOMBLE), an Irishman who succeded his friend, St. Fursey (16th January), as Abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Lagny. St. Mummolus reposed circa 690.

NAZARIUS, a mid-fifth century Abbot of the Abbey of Our Lady of Lérins.

ORICULUS and COMPANIONS, a group of orthodox Christians in Africa Proconsularis, martyred by Arian Vandals circa 430. No further details are known.

Great Christmas Gift Ideas.


1st December (NS)

AGERICUS (AGUY, AIRY), a parish priest in Verdun who was consecrated tenth Bishop of Verdun in 554, succeeding St. Desiderius (10th February). As bishop, St. Agericus was an advisor to Childebert II, King of Austrasia (r. 575–596), he was also renowned for his munificence to those in need, and in the later years of his life he acquired a reputation as a wonderworker. St Agericus reposed in 588 or 591.

ANSANUS, the son of a pagan Roman senator, St. Ansanus was baptised at the age of twelve, but was denounced soon after by his father. He was arrested, but managed to escape, and brought so many to Christ, first in Bagnorea and then in Siena, that he became known as “the Baptiser”. When the Emperor Diocletian (r. 284––305) ordered the arrest of Christians, St. Ansanus was once again arrested and beheaded (304).

CANDRES, a fifth century missionary bishop who evangelised the area around Maastricht in present-day Holland.

CASTRITIAN, little is known of this saint who was the fourth Bishop of Milan, from 95 until his repose in 137.

CONSTANTIAN, a monk at Micy (near Orléans in present-day north-central France) who later was the abbot-founder of Javron Abbey. St. Constantian reposed in 570.

DIODORUS, MARIANUS, and COMPANIONS, a group of martyrs in Rome under Numerian in 283. It is possible this was an entire congregation, who, while gathered for prayer in the catacombs, were sealed inside and left to die.

ELIGIUS (ELOI, ELOY), a skilled metalsmith who became master of the mint in Paris under King Clotaire II; in 640 he was ordained to the priesthood, and the following year was consecrated Bishop of Noyon and Tournai. He enlightened the areas around Antwerp, Ghent and Courtra, bringing many to Christ through his example, especially in helping the poor and sick. As a layman, he built churches and monasteries, including the Abbey of SS. Peter and Paul in Solignac, and continued after ordination. St. Eligius reposed in 660 and was buried in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Noyon.

EVASIUS, there are no reliable accounts of St. Evasius’ life extant. He is believed to have been the first Bishop of Asti in Piedmont and martyred under Julian the Apostate at Casale Monferrato circa 362.

GRWST, (Seventh Century), believed to have been the founder of Llanrwst, Conwy County Borough, Wales. The site of his cell is now occupied by Seion Methodist Chapel.

LEONTIUS, an early, possibly first, Bishop of Fréjus in Provence (south-eastern France), serving from circa 419 until his repose circa 432. The major event of his episcopacy was the foundation of Lérins Abbey by St. Honoratus of Arles (16th January). his close friend, St. John Cassian (23rd July) dedicated his first ten Conferences to St. Leontius.

LUCIUS, ROGATUS, CASSIAN, and CANDIDA, (Date Unknown), Roman martyrs of whom nothing is known.

OLYMPIADES, nothing certain is known of this saint, however he is believed to have been a Roman Consul tortured to death in Almeria, Andalusia during the Diocletianic Persecution (303––313).

PROCULUS, a Bishop of Narni in Umbria who was martyred by order of the Arian Totila, King of the Ostrogoths (r. 541–552) circa 542.

URSICINUS, a fourth century Bishop of Brescia in Lombardy (northern Italy), who was a participant at the Council of Sardica (342/343). St. Ursicinus reposed circa 347.

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.