Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism
See of Rome
20th November (NS) — 7th November (OS) 2024
AMARAND, an Abbot of the Abbey of St. Peter (abbaye Saint-Pierre de Moissac) in Moissac (south-western France), who was Bishop of Albi (southern France) at the end of the seventh century. St. Amarand reposed circa 700.
AMARANTHUS, a third century martyr at Vieux near Albi (southern France). His relics are enshrined at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Cecilia of Albi (Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi).
BLINLIVET (BLEVILEGUETUS), (Ninth Century), a Bishop of Vannes in Brittany (north-western France), who spent the last years of his life as a monk at Quimper Abbey.
CYNGAR (CUNGAR, CONGAR, CUNGARUS), (Sixth Century or possibly early Eighth Century), said to have been a son of Geraint, Prince of Devon. St. Congar founded monasteries at Badgeworth and Congresbury (where he is buried) in Somerset, as well as at Llangennith (Welsh: Llangenydd/Llangynydd) in Gower, south Wales. It is generally believed that he flourished in the sixth century, though the English Menology states it was during the reign of Ine, King of the West Saxons (r. 689–726). The calendar of the Moscow Patriarchate lists St. Congar, Bishop of Somerset on 27th November, albeit without a year of repose.
Troparion of St. Congar — Tone VIII
In Congarsbury's monastery thou wast laid to rest, O Father Congar,/
Evangeliser of Somerset and teacher of monastics./
Pray to God for us, that we may worthily follow in thy footsteps/
bringing the light of the Faith to those who languish in the darkness of unbelief,/
making this a second Age of Saints, that thereby many souls may be saved.
FLORENTIUS of STRASBOURG, an Irishman who emigrated to the Continent where he settled and built a monastery in the forest near present-day Niederhaslach, France. St. Florentius was consecrated Bishop of Strasbourg (north-eastern France) circa 678 serving that See until his repose circa 693.
GÉBÉTRUDE (GERTRUDE) of REMIREMONT, a granddaughter of St. Romaricus of Remiremont (8th December) and sister of St. Adelphus of Remiremont (11th September), St. Gébétrude was educated at Remiremont Abbey near the Vosges Mountains (north-eastern France). At the completion of her studies, St. Gébétrude received monastic tonsure at the Abbey, and later served as its third abbess. St. Gébétrude reposed circa 675.
HERCULANUS of PERUGIA, a Bishop of Perugia in Umbria (central Italy). St. Herculanus was beheaded in 549 by Ostrogoth soldiers by the order of the Arian Totila, King of the Ostrogoths (r. 541–552).
PROSDOCIMUS of PADUA, the first Bishop of Padua (northern Italy), who, according to tradition was sent there by the Apostle Peter (29th June). St. Prosdocimus reposed circa 100.
PROSDOCIMUS of RIETI, (First Century), the first Bishop of Rieti (central Italy).
RAVERRANUS of SÉEZ, a late seventh century Bishop of Séez in Normandy (north-western France). St. Raverranus reposed in 682. No further information on his life is extant.
RUFUS of METZ, an early Bishop of Metz (north-east France). No information on St. Rufus is extant. He is thought to have reposed circa 400.
Icon of St. Willibrord (Clement) of Echternach, Apostle of the Frisians
TREMORUS (TRÉMEUR) of BRITTANY, (Sixth Century), the infant son of St. Triphina of Brittany (5th July) and educated by Saint Gildas the Wise (29th January). St. Tremorus' pagan father, Count Conmore, whose hatred for Christianity seemingly had no bounds, beheaded his son solely for being Christian.
WILLIBRORD (CLEMENT) of ECHTERNACH, Apostle of the Frisians, a Northumbrian missionary to the Low Countries. Working with eleven other monks, St. Willibrord brought many Frisians to Christ. St. Willibrord was consecrated the first Bishop of Utrecht (central Netherlands) circa 696, taking the name of Clement. St. Willibrord reposed circa 739.
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AMPELUS and GAIUS, martyrs at Messina in Sicily during the Diocletianic Persecution (303–313).
AUTBODUS, an Irishman who evangelised in Hainault (present-day Belgium), Artois and Picardy (northern France). St. Autbodus spent the last years of his life as a hermit near Laon, Picardy (northern France), reposing 690.
BENIGNUS, little is known of this saint's life, save that he was consecrated the 21st Archbishop of Milan (north-west Italy) in 465 and served until his repose circa 477.
BERNWARD (BERWARD), fourteenth Bishop of Hildesheim (Lower Saxony) from 993 until his repose in 1022. In addition to his piety, St. Bernward was noted for his skill in mathematics, painting, architecture, and particularly in the manufacture of ecclesiastical vessels. He spent his early years as chaplain at the imperial court, and even served as tutor to Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 996–1002). St. Bernward reposed 1022.
Icon of The Holy and Right-Believing
King Edmund the Martyr
EDMUND, the first patron saint of England, and a king of the East Angles who was martyred whilst defending his kingdom from Danish invaders. Nothing certain is known of his lineage and early years, though many spurious legends arose which were held to be valid by many. Unfortunately, since the Viking sack of East Anglia seems to have destroyed most of the records extant at the time, there is no contemporary East Anglian documentation of King St. Edmund’s life or reign. King St. Edmund was martyred when he refused to subjugate himself to the pagan Vikings who then had him beaten, scourged, and finally beheaded. A group of Christians buried King St. Edmund at the place now known as Bury St. Edmund, and a simple chapel was built over his grave. Later a substantial church was built in his honour, and when translating his relics to this church, they were found to be not only incorrupt, but his skin was still soft and fresh, and his head reattached with only a thin line around his neck where he had been decapitated. King St. Edmund’s shrine rapidly became one of the most frequented pilgrimage sites in England, and was richly endowed by various kings of England over the centuries. Thus, by the end of the twelfth century the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds had become one of the wealthiest, and most advantaged monasteries in England. In 1539, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales (1536–1540) by Henry VIII, King of England and Ireland, (r. 1509–1547), King St. Edmund’s shrine was sacked, the Abbot and monks expelled, and the abbey dissolved. Though originally the patron saint of England, King St. Edmund was replaced by St. George the Trophy-bearer (23rd April) by King Edward III (r. 1327 – 1377) when King Edward took St. George as patron of the Order of the Garter. In addition to his feast on 20th November, the Moscow Patriarchate’s calendar lists the translation of his relics on 30th March.
EUDO (EUDON, EUDES ODO), a monk at the Abbey of Our Lady of Lérins (abbaye Notre Dame de Lérins) on one of the Lérins Islands in the Mediterranean Ocean off the Côte d’Azur in France, and Abbot-founder of Corméry-en-Velay Abbey (later called Saint-Chaffre). St. Eudo reposed circa 760.
EVAL (UVOL, URFOL), (Sixth Century), a bishop in Cornwall for whom the civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, England is named. Nothing certain is known of his life, but he is believed to have lived at the end of the sixth century.
LEO of NONANTULA, an Abbot of Nonantula Abbey near Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern present-day Italy, who reposed in 1000.
MAXENTIA, (Date Unknown), an Irish (or Scottish) woman who fled to the Continent to escape marriage to a pagan chieftain. Once there she became an anchoress near Senlis in Picardy (northern France). Unfortunately, the chieftain eventually located St. Maxentia and beheaded her at Pont-Sainte-Maxence in present-day Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie (northern France).
OCTAVIUS, SOLUTOR, and ADVENTOR, members of the Theban Legion who were amongst those who managed to escape the initial slaughter ordered by Maximian Herculeus. SS. Octavius, Solutor, and Adventor managed to reach Turin before being captured and executed (297). SS. Octavius, Solutor, and Adventor are the patron saints of Turin.
SILVESTER, Bishop of Châlon-sur-Saône, in the present-day region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France from circa 484 until his repose circa 525. He was described as 'the glory of confessors' by St. Gregory of Tours (17th November).
SIMPLICIUS of VERONA, traditionally purported to have been a Bishop of Verona (northern Italy), though there is a lack of verifiable information on his life, and he has been deleted from recent martyrologies. St. Simplicius is believed to have reposed circa 535.
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.