Dr. John (Ellsworth) Hutchison-Hall

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

            

Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism See of Rome

DIGNA of ROME and EMERITA of ROME, Roman maidens who were arrested and tortured for being Christians during the reign of the Emperor Valerian (r. 253–260). Whilst standing before their judges and praying, SS. Digna and Emerita reposed. The pagans dumped their sacred remains in open country, which were rescued by their fellow Christians and interred with those of SS. Felix and Adauctus (30th August). Their relics were later translated to the Church of San Marcello al Corso in Rome and enshrined under the main altar.

EMMERAMUS (EMMERAM) of REGENSBURG, a native of Poitiers (west-central France) who went to Bavaria (southern Germany) to illuminate the still idolatrous local tribes. St. Emmeramus based himself at Regensburg (Ratisbon) in Bavaria, and later served as an Abbot-Bishop of Regensburg. St. Emmeramus was killed (circa 690) whilst on his way to Rome, and has been venerated as a martyr ever since. St. Emmeram's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Emmeram) was subsequently built over his grave circa 739.

FLORENTIUS (FLORENT, FLORENCE) the VENERABLE, (Fifth Century), a native of Bavaria (southern Germany) who was a disciple of St. Martin of Tours (11th November). St. Martin ordained St. Florentius to the priesthood and sent him to evangelise in Poitou (western-central France). In later life St. Florentius went to live as a hermit at Mt. Glonne in Anjou (western France), where he attracted so many disciples, an abbey (later called Abbaye de Saint-Florent-le-Vieil / the Abbey of St. Florent the Venerable) had to be built for them. St. Florentius reposed at an advanced age, some legends state 120 years, and was buried at his abbey.

JONAS (YON), a companion or disciple of St. Dionysius (Denis) of Paris (9th October), who evangelised Chartres (north-central France), and was martyred at some point in the third century.

LAUTO (LAUDO, LAUDUS, LÔ) of COUTANCES, a nobleman who served as the fifth Bishop of Coutances in Normandy (north-western France) from 528 until his repose in 568. Upon inheriting his family's estate, he donated the lands to his diocese, part of which became the village of Saint-Lô.

SALABERGA, healed of blindness by St. Eustace of Lisieux (29th March), as a child, and then married very young, and she was widowed after only two months of marriage. She then married Blandinus of Laon, with whom she had five children, including SS. Baldwin (16th October), and Anstrudis of Laon (17th October). Later in life St. Salaberga and Blandinus mutually agreed to separate and enter monastic life. Blandinus became an anchorite, and St. Salaberga was tonsured at the Abbey of St. Peter of Poulangy (l'abbaye Saint-Pierre de Poulangy). St. Salaberga went on to found the convent of St. John the Baptist (l'abbaye Saint-Jean de Laon) in Laon, Picardy (northern France), where she reposed circa 665.

SANCTINUS of MEAUX, whilst there is no definitive evidence extant, St. Sanctinus is traditionally considered to have been the first Bishop of Meaux (metropolitan Paris) and a disciple of St. Dionysius (Denis) of Paris (9th October). St. Sanctinus reposed circa 300.

SILVANUS of LEVROUX, (Date Unknown), an early saint venerated from time immemorial in Levroux, France. No reliable information on his life is extant.

THEBAN LEGION, the army of Emperor Maximian (r. 286–305) included a legion of Christians who were based at Thebes in Egypt. Whilst marching his army across the Alps (circa 287) to suppress a revolt in Gaul, the Emperor camped near Agaunum (the present-day town of St Maurice d'Agaune, in the south-western Swiss canton of Valais). There Maximian prepared his army for battle, which included making sacrifices to pagan gods. Naturally, the Christians refused to participate in these pagan rituals. Their refusal resulted in Maximian ruthlessly executing them. A basilica was later built in Agaunum, in which the relics of the martyrs were enshrined.

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.