Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism
See of Rome
15th December (NS) — 2nd December (OS) 2023
BIBIANA (VIBIANA, VIVIAN), (Date Unknown), aside from her name, nothing certain is known about St. Bibiana. A later legend which connects her with the martyrdom of SS. John and Paul of Rome (26th June), though popular, has no basis in fact.
CHROMATIUS, the second Archbishop of Aquileia (north-eastern present-day Italy) from 388 until his repose in 407. At the Synod of Aquileia St. Chromatius advocated for a strong condemnation of Arianism. St. Chromatius was also friends with SS. John Chrysostom (13th November), Ambrose of Milan (7th November), and Jerome (30th September).
EUSEBIUS, MARCELLUS, HIPPOLYTUS, MAXIMUS, ADRIA, PAULINA, NEON, MARY MARTANA, and AURELIA, a group of martyrs during the reign of the Emperor Valerian (r. 253–260), who were tortured and then killed. Eusebius, a priest, Marcellus, his deacon, Neon and Mary, lay people, were beheaded; Adria and Hippolytus were scourged to death; Paulina tortured to death; Maximus was drowned in the Tiber.
EVASIUS, an early, perhaps first, Bishop of Brescia in Lombardy. No further information is extant.
LUPUS of VERONA, (Date Unknown), a Bishop of Verona of whom nothing further is known.
PONTIAN and COMPANIONS, St. Pontian, along with four others whose names are no longer known, was martyred during the Valerian Persecution (257–260), circa 259.
SECURUS, SEVERUS, JANUARIUS, and VICTORINUS, martyred by the Arian Vandals in North Africa circa 450.
SILVERIUS, the son of Pope St. Hormisdas (6th August). He was a subdeacon when elected Bishop of Rome. He was hated by the Empress Theodora for objecting to the Monophysite Bishop Anthimus and condemned for high treason. He was finally exiled to an island off Naples where he was left to die and perhaps martyred, circa 537.
Great Christmas Gift Ideas.
 |
 |
|
 |
ADALBERO, following studies at Gorze Abbey, near Metz in Lorraine, St. Adalbero was consecrated Bishop of Verdun in 984. However, later that same year he was translated to Metz where he served as bishop until his repose in 1005. As Bishop of Metz, St. Adalbero founded several monasteries in his diocese and assisted in the restoration of Gorze Abbey.
FAUSTINUS, LUCIUS, CANDIDUS, CAELIAN, MARK, JANUARIUS, and FORTUNATUS, (Date Unknown), a group martyrs in North Africa, who although listed in all the early martyrologies, nothing is known.
FLORENTIUS (FLANN), (Seventh Century), an Abbot of Bangor, Co. Down, Ulster during the seventh century Nothing is known about his life other than his reputation for zeal and piety.
MAXIMINUS (MESMIN), co-founder, with King Clovis, and first Abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Mesmin, Micy near Orléans. St. Maximinus reposed 520.
OFFA, a King of Essex who abdicated his throne to become a monk at Rome. He reposed circa 709.
URBITIUS (ÚRBEZ), a Frankish monk captured by Saracens, w-ho managed to escape and spent the rest of his life as a hermit in the Pyrenees Mountains. St. Urbitius reposed circa 805.
VALERIAN, a Bishop of Abbenza in North Africa who was martyred by Arian Vandals in 457 for refusing to surrender sacred vessels.
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.