Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism
See of Rome
25th March (NS) — 12th March (OS) 2024
ALPHEGE the ELDER, he was called the Elder to distinguish him from his more famous namesake, St. Alphege the Martyr of Canterbury and Greenwich (19th April). St. Alphege was a monk of singularly holy life, and encouraged many others to become monks, notably his relative St. Dunstan (19th May), whom he ordained priest. St. Alphege succeeded St. Birnstan (4th November) in the See of Winchester in 935, serving until his repose from natural causes in 951. His relics were enshrined at Winchester.
MAMILIAN (MAXIMILIAN), a third century martyr in Rome of whom nothing further is known.
MAXIMILIAN, when called-up for military service, St. Maximilian refused to serve on the grounds military service was inconsistent with his faith. As a result, he was beheaded in 295 at Thebeste in Numidia (present-day Algeria).
MURA MCFEREDACH (MURAN, MURAMES), St. Mura McFeredach was the first Abbot and patron saint of Fahan, on the Inishowen Peninsula, in Co. Donegal, Ireland. His staff and bell were held to have miraculous powers and were greatly venerated. The exact year of St. Mura McFeredach's repose is unknown, other than it was sometime in the seventh century.
PAUL AURELIAN, a Romano-Briton prince who was educated at St. Illtyd's (6th November) monastery and school (Cor Tewdws), in present-day Llantwit Major, Glamorgan, Wales with SS. David (1st March), Gildas the Wise (29th January), Illtyd (6th November), and Samson (28th July). After his time at Cor Tewdws, St. Paul, along with twelve other monks, went to Brittany where they established a monastery at Porz-Pol on the Isle of Ouessant. Later St. Paul was convinced to accept elevation to the Bishopric of Ouismor, now known as Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Brittany, France. St. Paul reposed circa 575.
PETER the DEACON, disciple, secretary, and companion of St. Gregory the Dialogist (3rd September). St. Gregory dictated the first four books of his Dialogues to St. Peter. St. Peter reposed circa 605.
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ÆLFWOLD (ALFWOLD) of SHERBORNE, a monk at Winchester, St. Ælfwold was known for his great devotion to SS. Swithun (2nd July) and Cuthbert (20th March). He was consecrated Bishop of Sherborne in 1045, governing that See with great care and enthusiasm until his repose in 1058.
BARONTIUS of PISTOIA and DESIDERIUS of PISTOIA, Barontius was a nobleman, generally said to have been at the court of King Thierry (Theuderic) II (r. 595–613). This is most likely not the case as St. Barontius reposed in the first quarter of the eighth century. Whatever the case maybe, St. Barontius left the world and received monastic tonsure at the Abbey of St. Cyran of Jambot (abbaye du Saint-Cyran-du-Jambot) in Burgundy. St. Barontius had a vision in which he was instructed to go to Italy and become a hermit near Pistoia in Tuscany. There St. Barontius was joined by St. Desiderius and others. SS. Barontius and Desiderius reposed circa 700 – 725.
HERMENLAND (ERBLON, HERBLAND, HERMELAND) of AINDRE, a priest-monk at the Abbey of St. Wandrille in Fontenelle Normandy. St. Hermenland was sent with twelve monks to establish a new monastery on the island of Aindre in the Loire estuary in Brittany. St. Hermenland reposed circa 720.
HUMBERT of PELAGIUS, a disciple of St. Amandus of Elnon (6th February), and founding Abbot of an abbey at Marolles in Flanders. St. Humbert reposed circa 680.
IRENAEUS of SIRMIUM, a bishop in Pannonia (present-day Hungary) who was martyred during the Diocletianic Persecution at Sirmium (present-day Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia) in 304.
KENNOCHA (KYLE, ENOCH) of FIFE, a monastic at an abbey in Fife of noble Scottish birth. St. Kennocha was held in great veneration in Scotland, especially in Strathclyde. She reposed at an advanced age in 1007. No further information on this saint is extant.
MARTYRS of ROME, (Date Unknown), a group of two hundred and sixty-two martyrs at Rome. No further information is known about them; however, some sources believe they may possibly be the same group of martyrs commemorated on 1st March.
QUIRINUS of ROME, a friend of SS. Marius and Martha (19th January), martyred in Rome, circa 269, during the persecutions during the reign of Emperor Claudius II (r. 268–270).
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.