AICHARDUS (AICARD, ACHARD), the son of a military officer at the Court of Clotaire II, King of the Franks (r. 613–629). It was his father wish that St. Aichardus follow in his foot steps with a career in the military. However, St. Aichardus wanted to enter monastic life, and, with the support of his mother, he eventually was tonsured at the Abbey of St. Jovinus (abbaye Saint-Jouin de Marnes) in the present-day French city of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes. St. Aichardus went on to serve as Abbot of the Abbey of St. Benedict (abbaye Saint-Benoît de Quinçay) at Quinçay near Poitiers, and then succeeding St. Philibert of Jumièges (20th August) as Abbot of the Abbey of St. Peter (abbaye Saint-Pierre de Jumièges) in Jumièges, Normandy (north-western France). St. Aichardus was known throughout his life as a model of prayer, austerity, and observance of Religious Rule, he reposed in 687.

ALBINUS (AUBIN, ALPIN) of LYONS, The successor of St. Justus of Lyons (2nd September, and 14th October) as Bishop of Lyons, though the exact length of his Episcopate is unknown, it is believed to have been from circa 380 to circa 390. St. Albinus reposed circa 390.

APRUS (APER, APRE, EPVRE, EVRE) of TOUL, a native of Trier in the present-day German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, who began life as a lawyer and acquired great fame on account both of his legal skills as well as his scrupulous integrity. After many years he left the law to become a priest, and circa 500 was selected to serve as the seventh Bishop of Toul (north-eastern France). St. Aprus reposed in 507, following an episcopate during which he was deeply loved by his flock.

BOND (BALDUS) of SENS, a seventh century hermit in Sens (north-central France). Some sources say he was a disciple of St. Artemius of Sens (28th April).

EMILAS of CÓRDOBA and JEREMIAH of CÓRDOBA, Martyrs of Córdoba, two young martyrs in Córdoba (southern Spain). St. Emilas, a deacon, and St, Jeremiah, a layman, were imprisoned and then beheaded, during the reign of Emir Abd ar-Rahman II (r. 822–852).

EUTROPIA of AUVERGNE, there is no information on St. Eutropia in any of the old martyrologies, and other than a mention by St. Sidonius Apollinaris (21st August) nothing about her life is known with any certainty. According to tradition, St. Eutropia was a holy woman in Auvergne (south-central France), who is believed to have flourished in the fifth century.

HERNAN (Sixth Century), a native of Britain, who fled to Brittany (north-western France) during the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England. There St. Hernan lived as a hermit at a place which came to be called Locarn, and of which he is also the patron-saint.

LEOBINUS (LUBIN) of CHARTRES, born near Poitiers (west-central France) to a family of peasants, he received monastic tonsure at the Abbey of St. Martin (abbaye Saint-Martin de Ligugé) at Ligugé in Vienne (south-western France), and became an anchorite in early life. St. Leobinus was later ordained to the priesthood, then made Abbot of Brou and finally consecrated Bishop of Chartres (circa 544). As Bishop, St. Leobinus participated in the Fifth Council of Orleans in October 549, and the Second Synod of Paris (551/2). St. Leobinus reposed circa 557.

MAMILLIAN of PALERMO, a Bishop of Palermo in Sicily during the era when the Arian Vandals dominated the island. Exiled by the the Arian Gaiseric, King of the Vandals (r. 428–477), St. Mamillian reposed circa 460 in Tuscany, his relics were later translated to Palermo.

MIRIN (MERINUS, MEADHRAN) of BANGOR, as with many of his contemporaries, it is almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in the limited amount of information that remains on the life of St. Mirin. He is commonly believed to have entered Bangor Abbey while still a youth, where he was a disciple of St. Comgall of Bangor (10th May), serving at one point as Prior. St. Mirin journeyed to Scotland where he founded the monastic community that became Paisley Abbey. Present-day Paisley, Renfrewshire in Scotland, grew up around the Abbey, and St. Mirin is the patron saint of both the town, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley. St. Mirin reposed circa 620.

NICOMEDES of ROME, (Date Uncertain), nothing certain is known of St. Nicomedes, the Roman Martyrology and St. Bede the Venerable (25th May) list him on this date, however, the first three manuscripts of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum make no mention of him, though he has been added to later recensions. It seems safe to say he was an early martyr of the Roman Church. According to most legends St. Nicomedes was a priest, and was martyred at the end of the first century, though there are some sources which place his martyrdom during the reign of the Emperor Maximian (r. 286–305).

PORPHYRIUS the MARTYR, an actor who was performing before the Emperor Julian the Apostate (r. 361–363) on the Emperor’s birthday in either 361 or 362. One of the scenes in the play mimicked the sacrament of baptism; St. Porphyrius was immersed, and the baptismal formula recited. However, as St. Porphyrius emerged, he declared himself to be a Christian. Emperor Julian immediately ordered that St. Porphyrius be tortured and then beheaded.

RIBERT, a seventh century Abbot of the Abbey of St. Valery (abbaye de Saint-Valery-sur-Somme) in present-day Saint-Valery-sur-Somme in northern France. It is possible St. Ribert was a bishop, and if so, it would have been as a regional bishop of Normandy and Picardy.

RITBERT of VARENNES, a monk and disciple of St. Audoenus of Rouen (24th August). St. Ritbert also served as abbot of a monastery in Varennes in Lorraine (north-eastern France) before reposing circa 690.

VALERIAN of CHÂLON-SUR-SAONE, one of the group of fifty Christians, including St. Photinus of Lyons (2nd June), imprisoned at Lyons (east-central France) in the persecution of Christians during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180). St. Valerian managed to escape and was able to spend some time evangelising in what is now the Burgundy region of France. Unfortunately, he was captured circa 178 and put to death near Châlon-sur-Saone.

ANNEMOND (CHAMOND) of LYONS, Archbishop of Lyons (east-central France), friend of St. Wilfrid of York (12th October), and godfather of Chlothar III, King of Neustria and Burgundy, (r. 658–673). He was murdered in 657 by Ebroin (†680/1), the tyrannical Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, in Chalon-sur-Saône, in the present-day region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.

CONWALL (CONVAL) of STRATHCLYDE, an Irish priest, St. Conwall went to Scotland where he became a disciple of St. Kentigern Mungo (13th January) and worked to spread the Gospel. He reposed circa 630.

EUSTOCHIUM, the third daughter of St. Paula of Rome (26th January). St. Eustochium received monastic tonsure from St. Jerome (30th September) in 382. In 386, SS. Eustochium and Paula accompanied St. Jerome to Bethlehem where St. Eustochium assisted St. Jerome with his Bible translation work — he dedicated his commentaries on Isaias (Isaiah) and Ezekiel to her. Whilst in Bethlehem St. Jerome founded several monasteries, making St. Paula abbess of them. Following the repose in 404 of St. Paula, St. Eustochium succeeded her mother as abbess, serving until her repose in 419.

EXUPERIUS (SOUPIRE) of TOULOUSE, fifth Bishop of Toulouse (southern France) from circa 400 until his repose circa 411. As bishop St. Exuperius finished construction of the Basilica of St. Saturninus, begun by his predecessor, but he is best remembered for his great austerity, simplicity of life, and selfless charity not just to the people of his diocese, but also to the monks of the Holy Land, Egypt, and Libya. St. Jerome (30th September) praised his virtues, and in appreciation for his gifts, St. Jerome dedicated his Commentary on Zacharias to St. Exuperius.

FAUSTUS of RIEZ, born circa 408 in Brittany (north-western France), St. Faustus received monastic tonsure 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 later served as its Abbot. He was consecrated second Bishop of Riez (in present-day Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) circa 459. Throughout his life, St. Faustus was a resolute opponent of both Arianism and Pelagianism; and continued the work of St. John Cassian (23rd July) defending orthodox doctrine against heresy. St. Faustus reposed circa 490.

LIOBA of BISCHOFFSHEIM, one of the group of nuns from Wimborne Abbey in Dorset, England, who, at St. Boniface's (5th June) request, left England for Frisia (present-day Netherlands) in 748 to assist him in his Apostolic labours. St. Boniface made her Abbess of the newly founded Abbey at Bischoffsheim. St. Lioba and her nuns played a key role in the conversion of the Germans. She reposed circa 781, and was buried, like St. Boniface, at Fulda Abbey (Kloster Fulda) in the present-day German state of Hesse.

MACHAN, (Date Unknown), a Scot who trained in Ireland before going to Rome, where he was consecrated bishop. St. Machan then returned to Scotland. However, aside from an entry in the Aberdeen Breviary alluding to his miracles, nothing certain is known of his life.

MARTIAL of NORTH AFRICA, LAURENCE of NORTH AFRICA, and COMPANIONS, (Date Unknown), a group of twenty-two martyrs in Numidia (present-day Algeria). Beyond the names of two of their company, SS. Martial and Laurence, nothing is known of them.

PATERNUS of AUCH, a second century Bishop of Auch in present-day south-western France.

PRIVATUS of ROME, a Roman who was scourged to death in 223, in the persecutions of Christians during the reign of the Emperor Severus Alexander (r. 222–235).

SILVINUS of BRESCIA, a fifth century Bishop of Brescia in Lombardy (northern Italy). St. Silvinus reposed in 444.

SOLOMON (SALONIUS) of GENOA, the first Bishop of Genoa (north-west Italy), St. Solomon reposed circa 269.

STACTEUS, (Date Unknown), a martyr in Rome of whom no further information is extant.

TETTA, St. Tetta was an Abbess of Wimborne in Dorset, England, and a friend of St. Boniface (5th June). St. Tetta sent nuns from Wimborne to support St. Boniface in his evangelisation of the Germans. St. Tetta reposed in the second half of the eighth century, and many miracles were attributed to her intercession.

Icon of the Holy Martyr
Prince Wenceslaus of Bohemia

WENCESLAS (WENCESLAUS, VIACHESLAV), Prince of Bohemia (western Czech Republic), he was raised as a Christian by his grandmother, the future martyr St. Ludmilla of Czechia (16th September). St. Wenceslas' promotion of Christianity throughout Bohemia was met with great hostility by the native pagans. St. Wenceslas was martyred circa 935 — the result of a plot fomented by a group of pagan nobles and Boleslaus, his pagan brother and heir to the throne. St. Wenceslas is the patron-saint of Czechia, and is the subject of the popular Carol, Good King Wenceslas, published by John Mason Neale in 1853.

WILLIGOD of MOYENMOUTIER and MARTIN of MOYENMOUTIER, (Seventh Century), originally monks at St. Hidulf's (11th July) monastery in Moyenmoutier (eastern France). SS. Willigod and Martin founded a monastery at Romont in the present-day Swiss canton of Fribourg, serving as the first and second Abbots, respectively.