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February 1

Brigid (Bridget, Bride) Feb 1
c 450-c 525. Born in Faughart near Dundalk, she became a nun when still young and founded a convent in Kildare, the first in Ireland. Her life is associated with mercy and pity for the poor. A greatly venerated saint, she is the second patron-saint of Ireland after St Patrick.

Brigid Feb 1
9th cent. Sister of St Andrew, Abbot of St Donatus in Fiesole in Tuscany in Italy. She was carried to her brother's deathbed by angels and reposed as an anchoress in the Apennines.

Cinnia Feb 1
5th cent. A princess of Ulster in Ireland who was converted by St Patrick and became a nun.

Clarus Feb 1
+ c 1048. An ascetic and hermit in Seligenstadt near Mainz in Germany.

Crewenna Feb 1
5th cent. Born in Ireland, he went to Cornwall where the place name Crowan recalls him.

Darlugdach (Dardulacha, Derlugdach) Feb 1
+ c 524. Successor of St Brigid as second Abbess of Kildare in Ireland.

Jarlath (Hierlath) Feb 1
+ c 480. A disciple of St Patrick, he succeeded St Benignus as Bishop of Armagh in Ireland.

Kinnia Feb 1
5th cent. A virgin baptised by St Patrick and venerated in Co. Louth in Ireland.

Paul of Trois-Châteaux Feb 1
+ c 405. Born in Rheims in France, he became a hermit near Arles and was chosen Bishop of Trois-Châteaux in the Dauphiné

Perpetua, Felicity, Saturus (Satyrus), Saturninus, Revocatus and Secundulus March 7 (in the East Feb 1)
+ 203. Vivia Perpetua was a young married woman of good social position. Felicity, also married, was a slave. The others were catechumens and Saturus perhaps their instructor. All were imprisoned together in Carthage in North Africa as a law of Septimus Severus forbade conversions to the faith. Secundulus died in prison: the others were thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre on March 7. Their Acts were written by Saturus, one of the martyrs, and completed by an eyewitness.

Seiriol Feb 1
6th cent. A saint whose name is recalled by the island of Ynys-Seiriol (Puffin Island) off Anglesey in Wales where remains of his small monastery still exist.

Severus Feb 1
+ c 348. Born in Ravenna in Italy, he became bishop of that city in 283 and attended the Council of Sardica in 344.

Severus Feb 1
+ c 690. Born of poor parents in the Cotentin in the north of France, he became Abbot and Bishop of Avranches. Before his repose he returned to monastic life.

Sigebert Feb 1
631-656. Sigebert III was King of Austrasia, now eastern France. He lived piously but reposed at the age of twenty-five. He was revered as the founder of numerous hospitals, churches and monasteries, among them Stavelot and Malmédy in Belgium.

Ursus Feb 1
6th cent. Born in Ireland, he preached against Arianism in the south of France and later went to Aosta in Italy.

February 2

Adalbald Feb 2
+ 652. Born in Flanders in Belgium, he was a son or grandson of St Gertrude of Hamage. He married a lady named Rictrude, who is also venerated as a saint together with their four children, Maurontius, Clotsindis, Eusebia and Adalsindis. Adalbald was murdered by relatives of his wife who disapproved of the marriage and he was venerated as a martyr.

Adeloga (Hadeloga) Feb 2
+ c 745. A princess who became the first Abbess of Kitzingen in Germany.

Apronian Feb 2
+ c 304. A Roman executioner who was converted to Orthodoxy when taking the martyr St Sisinnius before the tribunal and was then himself martyred.

Columbanus Feb 2
+ 959. Born in Ireland, he lived as a hermit near the church of Saint-Bavo in Ghent in Belgium.

Ebsdorf (Martyrs of) Feb 2
+ 880. In 880 a Christian army was caught in the ice and snow and was defeated by pagan Norsemen at Ebsdorf in the north of Germany. Among them, St Bruno and four bishops, eleven nobles and many others were slain and venerated as martyrs.

Feock Feb 2
? A saint recalled by a church dedication in Cornwall.

Flosculus (Flou) Feb 2
+ c 480. Bishop of Orleans in France.

Laurence of Canterbury Feb 2
+ 619. Sent by St Gregory the Great to England, St Augustine sent him back to Rome to report on the English mission and to bring more help. The second Archbishop of Canterbury from 604, he suffered during the pagan reaction and thought of fleeing to France. He was rebuked by the Apostle Peter in a dream and in the end succeeded in converting Eadbald.

Marquard Feb 2
+ 880. A monk at New Corbey in Saxony, he was Bishop of Hildesheim from 874 to 880 and was martyred with others at Ebsdorf in Germany.

Theodoric Feb 2
+ 880. Third Bishop of Ninden in Germany.

February 3

Anatolius Feb 3
9th cent. A bishop in Scotland, he went to Rome on pilgrimage and settled as a hermit in Salins in the Jura in France, where at a later date a church was dedicated to him.

Ansgar (Anschar) Feb 3
801-865. Born near Amiens in France, as a child he became a monk at Old Corbie in Picardy. He then went to New Corbie in Saxony, from where he was taken by King Harold of Denmark to enlighten the heathen Danes. He toiled there as Archbishop of Hamburg for thirteen years and his mission extended to Sweden, Norway and the north of Germany.

Berlinda (Berlindis, Bellaude) Feb 3
+ 702. A niece of St Amandus, she became a nun at Moorsel near Alost in Belgium and later an anchoress in Meerbeke.

Caellainn (Caoilfionn) Feb 3
? 6th cent. A church in Roscommon in Ireland is dedicated to her.

Celerinus Feb 3
+ c 250. Born in North Africa, he earned the title of martyr on account of the sufferings he endured under Decius during a visit to Rome. Freed, he returned to Carthage, where he was ordained deacon and later a church was dedicated to him.

Deodatus Feb 3
8th cent. A monk at Lagny in France.

Felix, Symphronius (Sempronius), Hippolytus and Companions Feb 3
? A group of martyrs in North Africa.

Hadelin Feb 3
+ c 690. Born in Gascony in France, he followed St Remaclus to Solignac, Maastricht and Stavelot and founded the monastery of Chelles, also in Belgium. He lived as a hermit near Dinant on the Meuse.

Ia (Hia, Ives) Feb 3
+ 450. Born in Ireland and the sister of St Ercus, she went to Cornwall with Sts Fingar, Piala and others and was martyred at the mouth of the River Hayle. The town of St Ives is called after her.

Laurence the Illuminator Feb 3
+ 576. A Syrian driven by the Monophysite persecution to Italy, there he was ordained and founded a monastery near Spoleto. He was bishop for twenty years, but then founded the monastery of Farfa in the Sabine hills near Rome. St Laurence was renowned as a peacemaker. His title derives from his gift of healing blindness, both spiritual and physical.

Laurentinus, Ignatius and Celerina Feb 3
3rd cent. Martyrs in North Africa. Sts Laurentinus and Ignatius were uncles and St Celerina was an aunt of the deacon St Celerinus.

Liafdag Feb 3
c 980. He became Bishop in Jutland in Denmark and met the needs of the growing number of Orthodox there but was martyred by pagans.

Lupicinus and Felix Feb 3
5th cent. Bishops of Lyons in France.

Oliver (Oliverius, Liberius) Feb 3
+ c 1050. A monk at Santa Maria di Portonuovo in Ancona in Italy.

Philip of Vienne Feb 3
+ c 578. Bishop of Vienne in France (c 560-578).

Remedius Feb 3
? Bishop of Gap in France.

Tigides and Remedius Feb 3
6th century? Two bishops who succeeded one another in Gap in France.

Werburgh Feb 3
+ c 699. Daughter of St Ermenhild and King Wulfhere of Mercia. She became a nun at Ely under St Etheldred (Audrey) and later founded three convents. She reposed at Trentham but her body was transferred to Chester, of which she is the patron saint.

Werburgh Feb 3
+ c 785. A widow who became a nun, probably at Bardney in England, where she later became abbess.

February 4

Aldate Feb 4
6th cent? Famed for his resistance to the heathen invaders of Britain, in some accounts he is called Bishop of Gloucester, now in England.

Aquilinus, Geminus, Gelasius, Magnus and Donatus Feb 4
3rd cent. Martyrs in 'Forum Sempronii', which has been interpreted as Fossombrone in central Italy.

Aventinus of Chartres Feb 4
+ c 520. Bishop of Chartres in France, he succeeded his brother, St Solemnis.

Aventinus of Troyes Feb 4
+ c 538. Born in central France, he acted as almoner to St Lupus, Bishop of Troyes, until he left to live as a hermit. The place where he lived is now called Saint-Aventin.

Eutychius Feb 4
4th cent. A martyr in Rome under Diocletian. He was left in prison for twelve days without food and then thrown into a well.

Liephard Feb 4
+ 690? According to tradition he was born in England and was a bishop and companion of King Cadwalla during the latter's pilgrimage to Rome. While returning to England, Liephard was murdered near Cambrai in France.

Modan Feb 4
? 6th cent. Born in Ireland, he preached at Stirling and along the Forth in Scotland and later lived as a hermit near Dumbarton.

Nithard Feb 4
+ 845. A monk at Corbie in Saxony in Germany and a companion of St Ansgar whom he followed to Sweden as a missionary. He was martyred there by pagan Swedes.

Rembert Feb 4
+ 888. Born in Flanders, he became a monk at Turholt in Belgium He worked in Denmark with St Anschar and succeeded him as Bishop of Hamburg-Bremen (865).

Vincent of Troyes Feb 4
+ c 546. Bishop of Troyes in France c 536-546.

Vulgis Feb 4
+ c 760. Bishop and Abbot of Lobbes in Belgium.

February 5

Adelaide Feb 5
+ c 1015. Abbess of Willich near Bonn in Germany and of Our Lady of the Capitol in Cologne. Both convents were founded by her father.

Agatha Feb 5
+ 1024. Wife of the Count of Carinthia in Austria, she was a model of devotion and patience under the brutal ill-treatment of her jealous husband whom she later converted.

Agatha Feb 5
? Born in Catania in Sicily, where she was martyred. She was handed over to a prostitute and her breasts were cut off. The Apostle Peter healed her of this mutilation while she was in prison, where she subsequently reposed. The miracles by which she has preserved Catania from successive eruptions of Mt Etna are well accredited.

Agricola Feb 5
+ 420. The eleventh Bishop of Tongres in Belgium.

Avitus of Vienne Feb 5
+ c 520. Born in Auvergne in France, he was the brother of St Apollinaris, Bishop of Valence. Their father St Isychius, a Roman senator, had also been Bishop of Vienne. Avitus succeeded him. As a bishop he commanded the respect of his flock, both of the pagan Franks and the Arian Burgundians. He converted the Burgundian King, Sigismund. St Avitus was also a fine writer.

Bertulf Feb 5
+ 705. Born in Pannonia, he moved to Flanders in Belgium where he became Orthodox and a priest and founded a monastery.

Genuinus (Ingenuinus) and Albinus Feb 5
7th cent. A Bishop of Sabion near Brixen in the Tyrol in Austria. He is commemorated with St Albinus, Bishop of Brixen in the 11th century.

Indract Feb 5
+ c 710. Born in Ireland, on his return from a pilgrimage to Rome he was murdered by heathen with his sister St Dominica (Drusa) and others near Glastonbury in England. Their relics were enshrined there.

Modestus Feb 5
+ c 722. A monk in Salzburg, he became Bishop of Carinthia in Austria and was largely responsible for its enlightenment.

Vodoaldus (Voel, Vodalus, Vodalis) Feb 5
+ c 725. Born in Ireland, he went to France and reposed as a hermit near Soissons.

February 6

Amandus of Elnon Feb 6
c 675. Born near Nantes in France, he lived as a hermit in Bourges for fifteen years. At the age of thirty-three he became a bishop and preached in Flanders in Belgium, Carinthia in Austria and among the Basques in Spain. He founded many monasteries in all these places, of which the best known is Elnon near Tournai, where he went in his old age and reposed aged over ninety.

Andrew of Elnon Feb 6
+ c 690. A monk and disciple of St Amandus at Elnon in France, whom he succeeded as Abbot. His relics were enshrined together with those of St Amandus in 694.

Antholian (Anatolianus) Feb 6
c 265. Mentioned by St Gregory of Tours as one of the martyrs of Auvergne in France under Valerian and Gallienus. Fellow-sufferers were Sts Cassius, Maximus, Liminius and Victorinus.

Mel (Melchno) Feb 6
+ c 490. By tradition one of the four nephews of St Patrick ( Mel, Melchu, Munis and Rioch), sons of Conis and Darerca, St Patrick's sister. They accompanied St Patrick to Ireland, St Mel becoming the first Bishop of Ardagh.

Mun Feb 6
5th cent. A nephew of St Patrick who consecrated him bishop. He ended his days as a hermit on an island in Lough Ree in Ireland.

Relindis (Renildis, Renula, Renule) Feb 6
+ c 750. A nun together with her sister Herlindis in Valenciennes, she was gifted in embroidery and painting. On her sister's repose, she became Abbess of Maaseik in Belgium.

Tanco (Tancho, Tatta) Feb 6
+ 808. Born in Ireland, he became Abbot of Amalbarich in Saxony and eventually Bishop of Werden in Germany. He was martyred by pagans whose savage customs he had denounced.

Vedast (Vaast, Vaat, Gaston, Foster) Feb 6
+ 539. He preached with St Remigius to convert the Franks. He was Bishop of Arras-Cambrai in the north of France for nearly forty years. He instructed King Clovis for baptism, built churches and cared for the poor.

February 7

Amulwinus Feb 7
+ c 750. Bishop of Lobbes in Belgium and the successor of St Erminus (+ 737).

Anatolius Feb 7
? Bishop of Cahors in France.

Augulus (Augurius, Aule) Feb 7
+ c 303. An early martyr and bishop, probably in France, though some have suggested London in England.

Chrysolius Feb 7
4th cent. An Armenian who enlightened the north-east of France, where he became bishop and was martyred. Having left Armenia during the persecution of Diocletian, he won martyrdom in Flanders. His relics were venerated in Bruges in Belgium.

Fidelis Feb 7
+ c 570. Eastern by origin, he travelled to Spain with some merchants and settled in Mérida, where he became a disciple of St Paul, bishop of the city, whom he later succeeded.

Juliana of Bologna Feb 7
+ 435. A matron in Bologna in Italy whose piety and charity were praised by St Ambrose of Milan. Her husband left her to become a priest with her consent and she devoted herself to bringing up her four children and to the service of the Church and the poor.

Laurence of Siponto Feb 7
+ c 546. Called Majoranus. Bishop of Siponto in Italy from 492, he built the church of St Michael on Mt Gargano.

Meldon (Medon) Feb 7
6th cent. From Ireland, he became a hermit in France and reposed at Péronne.

Richard Feb 7
+ 720. An noble from the west of England and father of Sts Willibald, Winebald and Walburga. He reposed at Lucca on a pilgrimage to Rome.

Tressan (Trésain) Feb 7
+ 550. A missionary from Ireland, he was ordained priest by St Remigius and preached in Mareuil on the Marne in France.

February 8

Cuthman Feb 8
9th cent. A confessor who lived a holy life as a shepherd near Steyning in Sussex in England. The church there was dedicated to him.

Elfleda (Aelflaed) Feb 8
+ 714. Daughter of Oswy, King of Northumbria in England. She was offered to God as a child at the convent of Hartlepool. She then went to Whitby with St Hilda and succeeded her mother Enfleda as abbess there. She was one of the most influential people of her time.

Honoratus of Milan Feb 8
+ 570. Appointed Bishop of Milan in Italy in 567, at a time when much trouble was caused by Arianism and the Lombard invasion. He was driven out of Milan by barbarians

Jacut and Guethenoc Feb 8
5th cent. Sons of Sts Fragan and Gwen and brothers of St Gwenaloe. They became disciples of St Budoc and were driven from Britain to Brittany.

Juventius of Pavia Feb 8 and Sept 12
1st cent. (?). The tradition is that St Hermagoras, Bishop of Aquileia and disciple of the Apostle Mark, sent Sts Syrus and Juventius to preach the Gospel in Pavia in Italy where the latter became the first bishop.

Kigwe (Kewe, Ciwa) Feb 8
6th or 7th cent. A saint venerated in Gwent in Wales.

Mary (Mileda, Mlada) Feb 8
+ 994. Daughter of Boleslav, Duke of Czechia. She founded the convent of St George in Prague.

Meingold Feb 8
10th cent. A holy man, Meingold lived in Huy on the Meuse and was venerated in Belgium

Nicetius (Nizier) of Besançon Feb 8
+ 611. Bishop of Besançon in France and a friend of St Columbanus of Luxeuil. He restored the episcopal see to Besançon after it had been transferred to Nyon on Lake Geneva after the invasion of the Huns.

Oncho (Onchuo) Feb 8
+ c 600. A pilgrim, poet, and guardian of holy relics and the Celtic tradition. While searching for memorials of the saints, he reposed at Clonmore monastery in Ireland and his body was enshrined there together with the relics which he had gathered.

Paul of Verdun Feb 8
+ c 649. A courtier who became a hermit on Mt Voge (now Paulberg) near Trier in Germany. Later he became a monk at the monastery of Tholey and then Bishop of Verdun in France.

Paul, Lucius and Cyriacus Feb 8
? Martyrs in Rome.

February 9

Alexander Feb 9
A martyr of Rome who was accompanied in his confession and death by thirty-eight others.

Alto Feb 9
+ c 760. Born in Ireland, he went to Germany and settled as a hermit in a forest near Augsburg. There he founded a monastery, now called Altomünster after him.

Ammon, Emilian, Lassa and Companions Feb 9
? A group of forty-four Christians martyred in Membressa in Africa.

Anshert Feb 9
+ c 700. From being Chancellor at the Court of Clotaire III he became a monk at Fontenelle in the north of France. He was chosen third abbot and in 683 became Bishop of Rouen.

Cronan the Wise Feb 9
? 8th cent. Called 'the Wise' on account of his knowledge of the canons.

Cuaran (Curvinus, Cronan) Feb 9
+ c 700. A bishop in Ireland, called 'the Wise', who hid his identity in order to become a monk at Iona, where he was recognised by St Columba.

Eingan (Einion, Eneon, Anianus) Feb 9
6th cent. A British prince who left Cumberland for Wales, he finished his days as a hermit at Llanengan near Bangor.

Nebridius Feb 9
+ c 527. Bishop of Egara near Barcelona in Spain, a city since destroyed.

Primus and Donatus Feb 9
+ 362. Two deacons in Lavallum in North Africa martyred by Donatists.

Sabinus Feb 9
+ c 566. Bishop of Canosa in Apulia in Italy and a friend of St Benedict. He was entrusted with an embassy (535-536) to the Emperor Justinian. He is the patron saint of Bari where his relics are now enshrined.

Teio (Teilio, Teilus, Thelian, Teilan, Teiou, Teliou, Dillo, Dillon) Feb 9
6th cent. Probably born in Penally near Tenby in Wales. He was a disciple of St Dyfrig and a friend of Sts David and Samson. He founded Llandaff monastery (Landeio Fawr) in Dyfed where he was buried.

February 10

Austreberta Feb 10
630-704. Born near Thérouanne in Artois in the north of France, she was the daughter of St Framechildis and Count Badefrid. She became a nun with St Omer in Abbeville where she became Abbess. She was also blessed as Abbess of Pavilly.

Baldegundis Feb 10
+ c 580. Abbess of Saint-Croix in Poitiers in France.

Desideratus (Désiré) Feb 10 Feb 11
6th cent. Successor of St Avitus as Bishop of Clermont in Auvergne in France

Erluph Feb 10
+ 830. Probably born in Ireland, he became Bishop of Werden in Germany and was martyred by pagans.

Merewenna Feb 10
+ c 970. Abbess of Romsey, a convent in Hampshire in the south of England.

Prothadius (Protagius) Feb 10
+ 624. The successor of St Nicetius as Bishop of Besançon in France.

Rome (Martyrs of) Feb 10
? 250. Ten soldiers martyred on the Via Lavicana in Rome.

Salvius Feb 10
+ 962. Abbot of Albelda in the north of Spain.

Scholastica Feb 10
c 480-c 543. Sister of St Benedict. She became a nun and lived near Montecassino. St Gregory in his Dialogues (2,33), says that St Benedict saw her soul ascend to heaven in the semblance of a dove.

Silvanus Feb 10
? Bishop of Terracina in Italy.

Soteris Feb 10
+ 304. A virgin-martyr in Rome under Diocletian. She seems to have been related to St Ambrose who often mentioned her.

Trumwin Feb 10
+ c 704. Appointed in 681 by St Theodore and King Edfrid as Bishop of the Southern Picts in Scotland, he set up his diocese at the monastery of Abercorn on the Firth of Forth. In 685 King Egfrid was killed by the Picts and St Trumwin and all his monks had to flee. He retired to Whitby in England and lived an exemplary monastic life there.

Zoticus, Irenaeus, Hyacinth, Amantius and Companions Feb 10
+ 120. A group of ten soldiers martyred in Rome and buried on the Via Lavicana.

February 11

Africa, Martyrs of North-West Africa Feb 11
+ c 303. Martyrs known as the 'Guardians of the Holy Scriptures'.. They preferred martyrdom to giving up the sacred books to be burnt. They suffered under Diocletian.

Benedict of Aniane Feb 11
c 750-821. A Visigoth, by name Witiza, he was born in Languedoc in France. In 773 he became a monk at Saint-Seine near Dijon and in 779 founded a monastery in Languedoc by a stream called Aniane. The Emperor asked him to oversee monasteries in Languedoc, Provence and Gascony and eventually all those in French and Germany.

Caedmon Feb 11
+ c 680. A Northumbrian, who worked at the monastery of Whitby in England as a farm-labourer. He was the first Englishman to write Orthodox hymns.

Calocerus Feb 11
+ c 130. A disciple of St Apollinaris, whom he succeeded as Bishop of Ravenna in Italy.

Desideratus (Désiré) Feb 10 Feb 11
6th cent. Successor of St Avitus as Bishop of Clermont in Auvergne in France

Desiderius Feb 11
+ 608. Born in Autun he became Bishop of Vienne in France. He defended Orthodox values and was murdered for this at the place now called Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne.

Gobnata (Gobnet) Feb 11
? 6th cent. Abbess of a convent in Ballyvourney in Co. Cork in Ireland. A holy well named after her still exists there.

Gregory II Feb 11
669-731. Born in Rome, he was librarian and archivist of the Roman Church, when he was chosen Pope in 715. He is famous for encouraging the spreading of the Gospel among the Germanic peoples, to whom he sent St Boniface and St Corbinian. He restored several Italian monasteries, notably Montecassino. He also opposed Iconoclasm and checked the advancing Lombards.

Lazarus of Milan Feb 11
+ c 450. Archbishop of Milan in Italy, he defended his flock from the Ostrogoths.

Priscus, Castrensis, Tammarus, Rosius, Heraclius, Secundinus, Adjutor, Mark, Augustus, Elpidius, Canion and Vindonius Sept 1 and Feb 11
5th cent? Priscus, a bishop in North Africa, and his priests were cast adrift in a boat by the Arian Vandals. They reached the south of Italy, where eventually Priscus became Bishop of Capua.

Saturninus, Dativus, Felix, Ampelius, Victoria and Companions Feb 11
+ 304. A group of forty-six martyrs in Albitina in North Africa. They were arrested at the liturgy and sent to Carthage for examination. Saturninus was a priest, and with him suffered his four children, Saturninus and Felix, readers, Mary, a virgin, and Hilarion, a young child. Dativus and another Felix were senators. Other names from this group which have come down to us are: Thelica, Ampelius, Emeritus, Rogatian and Victoria, a holy virgin of undaunted courage. The child Hilarion, when threatened by the magistrates while his companions were being tortured, replied: 'Yes, torture me too; anyhow, I am a Christian'. They all died in prison.

Severinus Feb 11
+ ? 507. A Burgundian who became the Abbot of Agaunum in Switzerland.

February 12

Benedict Revelli Feb 12
c 900. A monk at Santa Maria dei Fonti in Italy and then a hermit on the island of Gallinaria in the Gulf of Genoa. In 870 he became Bishop of Albenga.

Damian Feb 12
? A martyr in Rome whose relics were found in the catacombs of St Callistus and sent to Salamanca in Spain.

Ethilwold Feb 12
+ c 740. A disciple of St Cuthbert, he was Abbot of Melrose in Scotland before becoming Bishop of Lindisfarne in England.

Eulalia (Aulaire, Aulazie, Olalla) of Barcelona Feb 12
+ c 304. Born in Barcelona in Spain, she was a virgin-martyr under Diocletian.

Gaudentius of Verona Feb 12
+ c 465. Bishop of Verona in Italy. His relics are enshrined in the ancient basilica of St Stephen in Verona.

Julian the Hospitaller Feb 12
? Also called 'the Poor'. Tradition says that Julian killed his own parents in error. In repentance he and his wife went to Rome on pilgrimage and built a hospice by the side of a river where they tended the poor and the sick and rowed travellers across the river. For this reason he is venerated as the patron saint of boatmen, innkeepers and travellers.

Modestus Feb 12
+ c 304. A deacon, born in Sardinia and martyred under Diocletian. His relics were brought to Benevento in Italy in c 785.

Modestus Feb 12
2nd century? Modestus was martyred in Carthage in North Africa and venerated as the patron-saint of Cartagena in Spain.

February 13

Aimo (Aimonius) Feb 13
+ c 790. Founder of the convent of St Victor in Meda in the north of Italy.

Benignus Feb 13
+ c 303. A priest in Todi in Umbria in Italy martyred under Diocletian.

Dyfnog Feb 13
7th cent. Born in Wales, he was much venerated in Clwyd.

Ermenhild (Ermengild, Ermenilda) Feb 13
+ c 700. Daughter of King Erconbert of Kent and St Saxburgh. She married Wulfhere, the King of Mercia. On his death, she joined her mother at Minster-in-Sheppey, eventually succeeding her as abbess. She then went to Ely where she also became abbess.

Fulcran Feb 13
+ 1006. Bishop of Lodève in Languedoc in France, famous for his asceticism. He was bishop for over half a century.

Fusca and Maura Feb 13
+ c 250. Two martyrs in Ravenna under Decius. Fusca was a young girl and Maura her nurse.

Gosbert Feb 13
+ c 859. The fourth Bishop of Osnabruck in Germany and a disciple of St Ansgar.

Huna Feb 13
+ c 690. A monk-priest in Ely in England under St Audrey (Etheldred) whom he helped in her last moments. He ended his life as a hermit in the fens near Chatteris, at a place now called Honey Farm after him.

Julian of Lyons Feb 13
? A martyr venerated in Lyons in France.

Lucinus (Lezin) Feb 13
+ c 618. Bishop of Angers in France.

Modomnock (Domnoc, Dominic) Feb 13
+ c 550. A disciple of St David in Wales and later a hermit in Tibraghny in Ireland.

Stephen of Lyons Feb 13
+ 512. Bishop of Lyons in France, he was active in converting the Arian Burgundians to Orthodoxy.

Stephen of Rieti Feb 13
+ c 590. An Abbot in Rieti in Italy whom St Gregory the Great describes as 'rude of speech but of cultured life'.

February 14

Antoninus of Sorrento Feb 14
+ 830. A monk in one of the daughter monasteries of Montecassino in Italy. Forced to leave his monastery by the wars raging in the country, he became a hermit, until he was invited by the people of Sorrento to live among them. He did so as Abbot of St Agrippinus. He is now venerated as the patron-saint of that town.

Conran Feb 14
? A holy bishop of the Orkney Islands.

Eleuchadius Feb 14
2nd cent. A Greek, he was converted by St Apollinaris of Ravenna in Italy and succeeded St Adheritus as third Bishop of that city.

Nostrianus Feb 14
+ c 450. Bishop of Naples in Italy and a valiant opponent of Arianism and Pelagianism.

Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius Feb 14
+ 273. Martyrs in Terni in Italy.

Theodosius Feb 14
+ 554. Bishop of Vaison in France and predecessor of St Quinidius.

Valentine Feb 14
+ 269. A priest and doctor in Rome martyred probably under Claudius the Goth and buried on the Flaminian Way. In 350 a church was built over his tomb.

Valentine Feb 14
+ c 269. A Bishop of Terni in Italy martyred under Claudius the Goth.

Vitalis, Felicula and Zeno Feb 14
? Early martyrs in Rome.

February 15

Agape Feb 15
c 273. A virgin-martyr in Terni in Italy. She belonged to a group of virgins formed by St Valentine into a community.

Berach (Barachias, Berachius) Feb 15
6th cent. From his birth he was cared for by his uncle St Freoch. Afterwards he became a disciple of St Kevin and founded a monastery at Clusin-Coirpte in Connaught. He is the patron-saint of Kilbarry near Dublin in Ireland.

Craton and Companions Feb 15
+ c 273. Converted to Christ by St Valentine, Bishop of Terni. He was martyred in Rome together with his wife and family.

Decorosus Feb 15
+ 695. For thirty years Bishop of Capua in Italy.

Dochow (Dochau, Dogwyn) Feb 15
? 473. He travelled from Wales to Cornwall and founded a monastery there and may have become a bishop.

Druthmar Feb 15
+ 1046. A monk at Lorsch, in 1014 he became Abbot of Corvey in Saxony in Germany

Farannan Feb 15
+ c 590. A disciple of St Columba at Iona in Scotland. Eventually he returned to Ireland to lead the life of a hermit at All-Farannan, now Allernan, in Sligo.

Faustinus and Jovita Feb 15
2nd cent. Two brothers, belonging to the nobility of Brescia in Italy, zealous preachers of Orthodoxy, they were beheaded in their native city under Hadrian.

Faustus Feb 15
6th cent. A disciple of St Benedict at Montecassino in Italy.

Georgia Feb 15
+ c 500. A holy virgin and later anchoress near Clermont in Auvergne in France.

Quinidius Feb 15
+ c 579. After living as a hermit in Aix in Provence, he became Bishop of Vaison in France.

Saturninus, Castulus, Magnus and Lucius Feb 15
+ 273. These martyrs belonged to the flock of St Valentine, Bishop of Terni in Italy.

Severus Feb 15
+ c 530. A priest from the Abruzzi in Italy. St Gregory the Great relates that he brought a dead man back to life so that he could receive communion and unction.

Sigfrid Feb 15
+ c 1045. A priest and monk, probably at Glastonbury in England. He went to enlighten Sweden and was based in Vaxjo. One of his converts was King Olaf of Sweden.

Walfrid (Gualfredo) della Gherardesca Feb 15
+ c 765. Born in Pisa in Italy, he married and had five sons and one daughter. In later life he joined two other married men in founding the monastery of Palazzuolo and a convent nearby for their wives and Walfrid's daughter. Walfrid was the first abbot and was succeeded by one of his sons.

Winaman, Unaman and Sunaman Feb 15
+ c 1040. Monks and nephews of St Sigfrid whom they followed to Sweden. They were martyred by pagans.

February 16

Faustinus Feb 16
+ 381. The successor of St Ursicinus about the year 360, as Bishop of Brescia in Italy. He was a descendant of Sts Faustinus and Jovita and compiled their Acts.

Honestus Feb 16
+ 270. Born in Nimes in France, he was ordained priest and sent to Spain by St Saturninus to preach the Gospel, which he did with success. He was martyred in Pampeluna.

Onesimus Feb 16
+ c 90. The slave who ran away from his master Philemon, was converted by St Paul in Rome and was the occasion of the Apostle's letter to Philemon.

February 17

Donatus, Secundian, Romulus and Companions Feb 17
+ 304. A group of eighty-nine martyrs who suffered under Diocletian. They were martyred in Porto Gruaro, not far from Venice in Italy.

Faustinus and Companions Feb 17
? A group of forty-five martyrs honoured in Rome.

Finan Feb 17
+ 661. Born in Ireland, he became a monk at Iona in Scotland and succeeded St Aidan in the Northumbrian Church. With St Cedd and others he enlightened parts of the south of England.

Fintan Feb 17
+ 603. A disciple of St Columba, he led the life of a hermit in Clonenagh in Leix in Ireland. Soon numerous disciples attached themselves to this ascetic and he became their abbot.

Fortchern Feb 17
? 6th cent. Bishop of Trim in Ireland, he later lived as a hermit.

Guevrock (Gueroc), Kerric) Feb 17
6th cent. A Briton who followed St Tudwal to Brittany and succeeded him as Abbot of Loc-Kirec. He also helped St Paul of Léon.

Habet-Deus Feb 17
+ c 500. Bishop of Luna in Tuscany in Italy, a city now in ruins. He was probably martyred by the Arian Vandals.

Loman (Luman) Feb 17
+ c 450. A nephew of St Patrick and the first Bishop of Trim in Meath in Ireland.

Silvinus Feb 17
+ c 720. A courtier who gave up his worldly life to preach the Gospel. He enlightened the area near Thérouanne in the north of France. After some forty years of unceasing work, during which he paid the ransoms of many slaves, he went to the monastery of Auchy-les-Moines, where he lived the few remaining years of his life as a monk.

February 18

Angilbert Feb 18
c 740-814. His early life was worldly, but later he became a model Abbot of St Riquier in the north of France where there were some 300 monks.

Colman of Lindisfame Feb 18
+ 676. Born in Connaught in Ireland, he became a monk at Iona in Scotland. He was then chosen as third Abbot of Lindisfarne in England. He later returned to Ireland, founding a monastery on Innisboffin Island for Irish monks and a monastery for English monks (Mayo of the Saxons).

Ethelina (Eudelme) Feb 18
? The patroness of Little Sodbury, now in Gloucestershire in England.

Helladius of Toledo Feb 18
+ 632. Born in Toledo in Spain, he served at the court of the Visigothic Kings. He loved to visit the monastery of Agali (Agallia) near Toledo on the banks of the Tagus. Eventually he became a monk there and then abbot (605). In 615 he became Archbishop of Toledo.

Leo the Great Nov 10 (In the East Feb 18)
+ 461. Probably born in Tuscany in Italy, he became Bishop of Rome in 440. He fought against many heresies. His celebrated Tomos defined the Orthodox belief in the Two Natures and One Person of Christ. It was acclaimed as the teaching of the Orthodox Church at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The most famous event of his life was his meeting with Attila outside the gates of Rome which resulted in the salvation of the city in 452.

Lucius, Silvanus, Rutulus, Classicus, Secundinus, Fructulus and Maximus Feb 18
? Martyrs in North Africa.

Maximus, Claudius, Praepedigna, Alexander and Cutias Feb 18
+ 295. Martyrs in Rome who suffered under Diocletian.

February 19

Barbatus (Barbas) Feb 19
c 612-682. Born in Benevento in Italy, he rendered great service to his native town as a priest and then as bishop, especially when it was under siege. He took part in the Sixth Oecumenical Council in Constantinople at which Monothelitism was condemned.

Beatus Feb 19
+ 789. Born in Asturias in Spain, he became a monk at Liebana and was famous for his firm stand against Adoptionism. When Adoptionism was condemned, the saint went to the monastery of Valcavado and wrote his famous Commentary on the Apocalypse.

Gabinus Feb 19
+ c 295. A martyr in Rome who was related to the Emperor Diocletian, but was also the brother of Pope Gaius and father of the martyr St Susanna.

George of Lodève Feb 19
+ c 884. Born near Rodez in France, he became a monk at Saint-Foi-de-Conques in Rouergue but later moved to Vabres. He became Bishop of Lodève at an advanced age.

Mansuetus Feb 19
+ c 690. Born in Rome, he became Bishop of Milan in Italy (c 672) and showed both vigour and wisdom. He wrote a treatise against Monothelitism.

Odran Feb 19
+ c 452. A martyr in Ireland.

Publius, Julian, Marcellus and Companions Feb 19
? Martyrs in North Africa.

Quodvultdeus Feb 19
+ 450. Bishop of Carthage in North Africa, exiled by the Arian Genseric King of the Vandals, after the capture of the city in 439. He reposed in Naples in Italy.

Valerius Feb 19
+ c 450. Bishop of Antibes in the south of France.

February 20

Bolcan (Olcan) Feb 20
+ c 480. Baptised by St Patrick, Bolcan later became Bishop of Derkan in Ireland.

Colgan Feb 20
+ c 796. Called 'the Wise' and 'the Chief Scribe of the Irish'. He was Abbot of Clonmacnoise in Offaly in Ireland.

Eleutherius of Tournai Feb 20
+ 532. Born in Tournai in Belgium, he became bishop there in 486 and enlightened the pagan Franks who had settled nearby. He died from wounds inflicted by Arian heretics.

Eucherius Feb 20
+ 743. Born in Orleans in France, he became a monk at Jumièges near Rouen in about 714. In 721 he became Bishop of Orleans, opposing the theft of church lands by Charles Martel. For this he was exiled to Cologne in Germany in 737. Here he became very popular and so was sent to Liège in Belgium. He spent the rest of his life at the monastery of St Trond near Maastricht in Holland.

Falco Feb 20
+ 512. Bishop of Maastricht in Holland from 495 on.

Leo of Catania Feb 20
703-787. Known in Sicily as St Leo the Wonderworker. He was a learned priest in Ravenna who became Bishop of Catania.

Valerius Feb 20
? First Bishop of Conserans in France.

February 21

Alexander of Adrumetum Feb 21
+ c 434. Martyred with others in North Africa.

Avitus II of Clermont Feb 21
+ 689. Bishop of Clermont in Auvergne in France from 676 to 689. He was one of the great bishops of the age.

Ercongotha Feb 21
+ 660. Daughter of King Erconbert of Kent and St Saxburgh. She became a nun at Faremoutiers-en-Brie under her aunt, St Ethelburgh, but reposed when very young.

Felix of Metz Feb 21
2nd cent. The third Bishop of Metz in France for over forty years.

Germanus and Randoald Feb 21
+ c 677. Born in Trier in Germany, he became a monk at Remiremont in the east of France. From there he went to Luxeuil and later he became Abbot of Granfield in the Val Moutier in Switzerland. Together with another monk, Randoald, he was martyred by the local magnate while interceding on behalf of the poor.

Gundebert (Gumbert, Gondelbert) Feb 21
+ c 676. Bishop of Sens in France, he left and went to the Vosges, where he founded the monastery of Senones (c 660).

Paterius Feb 21
+ 606. A monk, disciple and friend of St Gregory the Great. He became Bishop of Brescia in Lombardy in Italy and was a prolific writer.

Pepin of Landen Feb 21
+ c 646. Pepin, Duke of Brabant, he was the husband of St Ida and the father of St Gertrude of Nivelles and St Begga. He was described as 'a lover of peace and the constant defender of truth and justice'.

Severus and Sixty-Two Companions Feb 21
3rd-4th cent. Martyrs in Syrmium in Pannonia.

Valerius Feb 21
+ 695. Born in Astorga in Spain, he became a monk and Abbot of San Pedro de Montes. He left several ascetic writings.

Verulus, Secundinus, Siricius, Felix, Servulus, Saturninus, Fortunatus and Companions Feb 21
+ c 434? Martyrs in North Africa, probably under the Vandals. Hadrumetum is given as the place of their martyrdom and their number as twenty-six.

February 22

Elwin Feb 22
6th cent. A holy man who accompanied St Breaca from Ireland to Cornwall.

John the Saxon Feb 22
+ 895. Born in Saxony in Germany, he became a monk and was asked by King Alfred to restore monasticism in England after the Danish attacks. He became Abbot of Athelney.

Maximian of Ravenna Feb 22
+ c 556. Consecrated Bishop of Ravenna in Italy in 546, he built the basilica of St Vitalis, which was dedicated in the presence of the Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora. Holding a jewelled cross, he is depicted in mosaics standing next to the Emperor.

Paschasius Feb 22
+ c 312. The eleventh bishop of Vienne in France.

Raynerius (Raynier) Feb 22
+ c 967. A monk at Beaulieu near Limoges in France.

Telesphorus Jan 5 (In the East Feb 22)
+ c 136. A Greek who was Pope of Rome for ten years and was martyred under Hadrian.

February 23

Boswell (Boisil) Feb 23
+ c 661. Abbot of Melrose in Scotland. Sts Cuthbert and Egbert were among his monks. Both admired him greatly, as did St Bede. His favourite reading was the Gospel of St John.

Felix of Brescia Feb 23
+ c 650. The twentieth Bishop of Brescia in Italy. He was bishop for over forty years during which time he was occupied in fighting Arianism and other heresies.

Florentius of Seville Feb 23
+ c 485. A saint much venerated in Seville in Spain.

Jurmin Feb 23
653. An East Anglian prince, son or nephew of King Anna (634-654). His relics were enshrined at Bury St Edmunds in England.

Martha Feb 23
+ 251. A virgin-martyr beheaded in Astorga in Spain under Decius. Her relics are enshrined at Ribas de Sil and Ters.

Medrald (Mérald, Méraut) Feb 23
+ c 850. A monk at Saint-Evroult (Ebrulfus) of Ouche in France. Later he became Abbot of Vendôme.

Milburgh Feb 23
+ 715. The elder sister of St Mildred of Minster-in-Thanet in England and the second Abbess of Wenlock. Archbishop Theodore consecrated her as a nun. She had the gift of miracles and healing of the blind and lepers, as well as power over birds and the natural world.

Polycarp Feb 23
+ c 300. A priest in Rome noted for ministering to those in prison for their faith.

Romana Feb 23
+ 324. A virgin born in Rome who reposed at the age of eighteen while living as an anchoress in a cave on the banks of the Tiber in Italy.

Syncrotas, Antigonus, Rutilus, Libius, Senerotas and Rogatianus Feb 23
4th cent. Martyrs at Syrmium in Pannonia.

Willigis Feb 23
+ 1011. The son of a wheelwright, he became a priest at Hildesheim in Germany. Two years later he became Archbishop of Mainz. Although a statesman, Willigis was first and foremost a churchman and always remained humble and charitable to others.

February 24

Betto Feb 24
+ 918. A monk at Sainte Colombe in Sens in France. He became Bishop of Auxerre in 889.

Cumine the White Feb 24 or Oct 6
+ 669. Born in Ireland, he became Abbot of Iona and wrote a life of St Columba.

John the Harvester (Theristos) Feb 24
+ 1129. Of Calabrian parentage, he was born in Sicily, where his mother had been taken as a slave by the Saracens. He managed to escape to Calabria while still a child and there became a monk. Theristos, meaning harvester, refers to a miraculous harvest reaped by the saint.

Liudhard Feb 24
+ c 600. Chaplain and bishop of Queen Bertha of Kent. He may have played an important part in the conversion of King Ethelbert, preparing for the conversion of Kent.

Modestus Feb 24
+ 489. Bishop of Trier in Germany from 486 to 489. His relics are venerated in the church of St Matthias in Trier.

Montanus, Lucius, Julian, Victoricus, Flavian and Companions Feb 24
+ 259. A group of ten martyrs in North Africa, disciples of St Cyprian of Carthage, who suffered in that city under Valerian. The story of their imprisonment was told by themselves and that of their martyrdom by eyewitnesses.

Praetextatus (Prix) Feb 24
+ 586. Bishop of Rouen in France (550-586). For his courage in denouncing the wicked, he was cruelly persecuted and exiled. Recalled seven years later, he was martyred on Easter Sunday in his own church.

Primitiva (Primitivus) Feb 24
? An early martyr, probably in Rome.

February 25

Aldetrudis (Adeltrudis) Feb 25
+ c 696. Daughter of Sts Vincent Madelgarus and Waldetrudis and a niece of St Aldegund of Maubeuge in France, she was confided to her aunt's care at this convent, where she became the second abbess.

Donatus, Justus, Herena and Companions Feb 25
3rd cent. A group of fifty martyrs who suffered in North Africa under Decius.

Ethelbert (Albert) of Kent Feb 25
560-616. King of Kent and High King of England, he protected St Augustine's mission and may have been baptised by him as early as Pentecost 597. Though he never tried to force his subjects into Christianity, thousands followed his apostolic example.

Victor Feb 25
+ 995. A monk at St Gall in Switzerland who became a hermit in the Vosges in France where he reposed.

Walburgh (Walburga) Feb 25
c 710-779. Sister of Sts Willibald and Winebald. She became a nun at Wimborne in Dorset in England with St Tetta and followed St Lioba to Germany. She reposed as Abbess of Heidenheim, from where her relics were translated to Eichstätt. Miraculous healings come from the oil which still flows from the rock on which her shrine is placed.

February 26

Agricola Feb 26
+ c 594. Bishop of Nevers in France between 570 and 594.

Andrew of Florence Feb 26
+ c 407. Bishop of Florence in Italy.

Dionysius of Augsburg Feb 26
+ c 303. Venerated as the first Bishop of Augsburg in Germany. By tradition he was baptised and later consecrated bishop by St Narcissus. He was martyred under Diocletian.

Faustinian Feb 26
4th cent. The second Bishop of Bologna in Italy. He reorganised his diocese and lived to be a firm defender of Orthodoxy against Arianism.

Victor Feb 26
7th cent. A hermit in Arcis-sur-Aube in Champagne in France.

February 27

Alnoth Feb 27
+ c 700. A cowherd attached to St Werburgh's monastery at Weedon in Northamptonshire in England. Later he lived as a hermit at Stowe near Bugbrooke and was martyred by robbers.

Baldomerus (Galmier) Feb 27
+ c 650. By trade a locksmith in Lyons in France, he entered the monastery of St Justus.

Comgan Feb 27
+ c 565. Abbot of Glenthsen or Killeshin in Ireland.

Herefrith Feb 27
+ 869? The relics of this Bishop of Lindsey, probably martyred by the Danes, were venerated at Thorney in Cambridgeshire in England.

Honorina (Honorine) Feb 27
? An early martyr in the north of France. Her relics are still venerated in Conflans Ste Honorine near Paris.

John of Gorze Feb 27
+ c 975. Born in Vandières near Metz in the east of France, after some years in the world, he made a pilgrimage to Rome. On his return he restored and entered the monastery of Gorze in Lorraine in 933. Emperor Otto I sent him as his ambassador to the Caliph Abd-er-Rahman of Cordoba, where he stayed for two years. In 960 he became Abbot of Gorze,.

Leander Feb 27
550-600. The elder brother of Sts Fulgentius, Isidore and Florentina. He entered a monastery in his early youth and was later sent to Constantinople on a diplomatic mission. There he met St Gregory the Great, who became a close friend. On his return to Spain, Leander became Archbishop of Seville. He revised and unified the Spanish liturgy, converted St Hermenegild and helped convert the Visigoths from Arianism. He was responsible for holding two national Councils at Toledo in 589 and 590.

February 28

Hilary (Hilarus) Feb 28
+ 468. Born in Sardinia, he became Pope of Rome in 461 and worked energetically against Nestorianism and Eutychianism and also consolidated the Church.

Llibio Feb 28
6th cent. The patron-saint of Llanlibio in Anglesey in Wales.

Macarius, Rufinus, Justus and Theophilus Feb 28
+ c 250. Potters by trade, they were martyred under Decius, perhaps in Rome, and were venerated in Bari and Bologna in Italy.

Maidoc (Madoc) Feb 28
6th cent. A sixth century bishop. Llanmadog in Wales was named after him.

Oswald Feb 28
+ 992. Born in England of a noble Danish family, he was the nephew of St Oda of Canterbury. He went to Fleury in France to learn from monastic life and later became Bishop of Worcester (961), identifying himself with St Dunstan and St Ethelwold in their efforts to revive monastic life in England. St Oswald founded monasteries at Ramsey and at Worcester. In 972 he became Archbishop of York. He repose on his knees after washing the feet of twelve poor people, as was his daily practice.

Romanus of Condat Feb 28
+ c 460. A Gallo-Roman who at the age of thirty-five went to live as a hermit in the Jura mountains, where he was followed by his brother St Lupicinus. Many disciples soon gathered round the two brothers, who then founded the monasteries of Condat (later known as Saint-Oyend) and Leuconne, over which they ruled together, and the convent of La Beaume (later called St-Romain-de-la-Roche) where their sister was abbess.

Ruellinus (Ruellin) Feb 28
6th cent. Successor of St Tudwal as Bishop of Tréguier in Brittany.

Sillan (Silvanus) Feb 28
+ c 610. A disciple of St Comgall in Bangor in Co. Down in Ireland and his second successor as abbot there.