“The Church in the British Isles will only begin to grow when
She begins to again venerate Her own Saints”
(Saint Arsenios of Paros +1877)
Dimitris Salapatas
(This article was published in the Orthodox Herald, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain
July - August 2012. Issue 286 - 287)
Living in the United Kingdom, whichever
the Orthodox Archdioceses jurisdiction we belong to, it is evident that in
order to promote and truly establish the Orthodox Church in the British Isles,
we should venerate the British saints, i.e. the saints of this land. Many, if
not all, of these saints are unknown to the Orthodox East. A revival of them at
the forefront of our celebrations is important, that we may relate to saintly
figures who lived where we now live and work.
There are countless Saints in the Hagiologio who originate from Britain;
however, here we will examine only three, due to their varied importance and
their unique work. Before looking into them, it is crucial to state that all
pre-schism saints of the British Isles are Orthodox saints, which we should
venerate.
a. St. Alban
The first saint, in this paper, is also
the first saint and martyr of Britain, in Verulamium. Numerous traditions
relating to St. Alban are very ambiguous, and it is impossible to verify
various historical details and traditions about this legendary saint.
Nevertheless, during the 5th century “a Gallic saint named Alban, and a native
of Britain was widely venerated both in this country and on the continent”[1].
“He was a soldier in the Roman army and, according to the venerable Bede, was
brought to faith in Christ by a fugitive priest to whom he gave shelter”[2].
It is said that the priest’s name was “Amphibalus – but this is almost
certainly a fictitious name given to him because it is the Greek equivalent of
Caracalla – or cloak – which played an important part in one of the episodes of
St. Alban’s martyrdom[3]”.
Alban so convinced of the priest’s holiness and authenticity, that he conveyed
his wish to become a Christian.
A local magistrate found out that Alban
was sheltering a priest and a group of soldiers was sent to arrest both of
them. When Alban realised what was about to happen, he exchanged clothes with
the priest, allowing him to escape, thus giving him the opportunity to continue
preaching the Gospel of Christ. When introduced to the magistrate he was
demanded to sacrifice to the pagan Gods. After his refusal he was sentenced to
be scourged, in order to make him recant, but to no avail. He was then sentenced
to death. On the day of his execution all the town gathered in order to witness
the event. However, the bridge by which the procession was to pass was blocked
by all the people. Alban prayed to God and the waters of the river pulled back,
thus creating a passageway. When observing this, the executioner was so moved
that he laid his sword to the protomartyr’s feet wishing that he as well would
be executed together with Alban. Upon reaching the spot of the execution, the
saint desired some water, and after praying to God a living spring broke out
near him.
After hearing the events that took
place, the magistrate was astonished. This admiration resulted in the
termination of all persecutions. When, eventually, the Church became the
established religion, a magnificent church was built on the spot of St. Alban’s
Martyrdom, near London, which is “the oldest site of continuous Christian
worship in Britain”[4].
Whether or not he was aware of
Christianity before the circumstances which led to his conversion is unknown,
nonetheless it likely that he would have had some experience of it. Despite the
fact that St. Alban is termed the ‘Protomartyr of England’, it is likely that
there were many other saintly figures in the British Isles, who lived and died
for their faith before him, especially during the reign and persecutions of
Emperor Diocletian. St. Alban is commemorated on the 17th of
June.
St. Alban is so important to English
Christianity, that even an organisation which promotes Anglican-Orthodox
Relations is named after him: The Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius. This
testifies the importance that England has played since the early centuries of
Christianity.
b. St. Bede
St. Bede is considered the greatest
Anglo-Saxon scholar and scientist. He wrote more than forty books, mainly of theological
and historical interest. He originated from the North West of England and lived
during the 7th and 8th centuries. At the age of 7 he
became a monk in the Jarrow monastery where he lived for all of his life. He
only left the monastery three times, on ecclesiastical matters.
From his work it is evident that he invested
most of his powers and endeavours in studying the Holy Scriptures, teaching,
writing and abiding by the Rule of monastic life. His work refers to a range of
topics, including natural science, music, poetry, hymns, epistles and various
homilies. His greatest legacy, which is the principal source for our understanding
of British history from the Roman period until his own time and the
establishment of Christianity in Britain, is “An Ecclesiastical History of the
English People”. It is important to state that it was originally written in
English and not in Latin and he is the first scholar to write about the
‘English’. Through this book we are able to learn about the life of many
Anglo-Saxon saints and find a translation of the Bible in English. This proves
that Luther was not the first to attempt to translate the Bible from Latin into
a Western language.
Bede introduced the distinction
between BC and AD, adopting the idea from a Syrian monk. He also believed that
the earth was round. He wrote about the leap year and the hemisphere. However,
he was not only a man of science and a writer; he was a man of God, humble,
decent and pure in heart. He worked for the growth of Christianity in the
British Isles. He was considered to be the most famous scientist of his time
and for centuries many monks used his work as a basis for their education. Even
till his last breath he was translating the Bible into English. When the news
of his passing reached Europe an Anglo-Saxon missionary stated, ‘The light of
learning that was lit with the Holy Spirit has now gone out’.
Bede died in 735. He was, however,
recognised as a Saint of the Church in 1899 by Pope Leo XIII. History has given
him the title “Venerable”, whilst his writings, especially his history, have
become indispensable. His relics are currently in the Cathedral of Durham. St.
Bede is commemorated on the 27th of May.
c. St. Cuthbert
Saint Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne
(634-20 March 687) was born in Northumbria. He lived in North East England and
South East Scotland, mostly in his native Northumbria. After his passing, he
was considered to be the most important British saint during the Middle Ages.
We know of him and his important work from St. Bede’s book, ‘The Ecclesiastical
History of the English People’.
Whilst he was still eighteen and a
shepherd, during the night, he witnessed a soul rise to the sky accompanied by
angels. The next day he was informed of St. Aidan’s death, an Irish missionary
and first Bishop of Lindisfarne. He saw this vision as a sign that he was
called to become a monk, so he decided to leave his flock and become a monk at
the monastery of Melrose.
After a plague hit the monastery, he
became its abbot. He was engaged in missionary work, travelling to most of
England and Scotland. He founded a school of rhetoric in Dall, Scotland, which
later became a monastery and finally the University of St. Andrew, one of the
greatest universities in the United Kingdom.
Following a period of ten years,
where he became famous for his miraculous healings, he was convinced that God
wanted him to become a hermit, in order to battle the powers of darkness with
the power of prayer. He first went to a small island, now known as St.
Cuthbert’s Islands; however, he later moved to Inner Farn, which is a more
remote island. There he stayed for almost nine years. Even there countless
pilgrims visited him, asking for his spiritual help and blessings. “This is
where he institutionalised special laws for the protection of ducks and birds
of that area, the place of his hermitage. These were the first laws ever in
regards to bird protection”[5].
“A synod at Twyford, with the holy
Archbishop Theodore presiding, elected Cuthbert Bishop of Hexham in 684”[6].
At first he declined, but was persuaded to accept the Episcopal duties by
members of the synod who had decided on this matter, accompanied by King
Egfrid. One of his greatest achievements was that he taught the English the
beauty of the Christian religion and the splendour of its worship.
During the Christmas period in 686,
knowing that soon he will depart this world for the Heavenly Kingdom, he
required to be moved to his cell on Farn Island. On the 20th March
687 he died. He was buried in a fantastic sarcophagus, where inside the monks
placed the Bible of John, which is currently located in the British Library, in
London. He also had with him his famous cross, that is now located within
Durham Cathedral.
Numerous miracles have taken place
near his tomb. Eleven years after his death the monks opened his tomb and found
that his body had remained untouched by time. This was a clear sign of his
holiness. Due to many miracles that he performed during his worldly life and
after his death he is known as the “Wonderworker of Britain”[7]. His relics have been moved countless times
due to war, the invasion of the Vikings and the Protestant movement when many
monasteries, churches, relics and treasures were destroyed. Finally the relics
were placed in Durham Cathedral (1104), where they are currently located.
St. Cuthbert still moves believers
today due to his multiple and valuable offerings towards Christianity, his love
for his people, his concerns on spiritual matters and his tender care for the
natural environment, particularly animals. He is commemorated on the 20th
of March.
These are but three of countless
British saints that we Orthodox should venerate in our churches, both here in
the United Kingdom and abroad. They have plenty of things to teach us and they
continue to serve as an example, especially today that we live in a globalised,
secular, materialistic and consumerist society which promotes unholy and
dreadful paradigms and idols. We Orthodox in Britain should work on composing
hymns and services in their honour and celebrate their feast days.
[1]
Johnson, K.R., “St. Alban. English Promartyr. (304)”, Journal of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, No. 4,
March 1929, p. 32
[2]
Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, http://www.thyateira.org.uk/index.php?option=com_alphacontent&Itemid=151,
14/08/2012, 17.34
[3]
Johnson, K.R., “St. Alban. English Promartyr. (304)”, Journal of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, No. 4,
March 1929, p. 33
[4]
St. Alban’s Cathedral, http://www.stalbanscathedral.org/,
16/08/2012, 17.11
[5] “Εδώ θεσμοθέτησε ειδικούς νόμους για την
προστασία της πάπιας και των πουλιών της περιοχής όπου ακσήτευε. Αυτοί ήταν και
οι πρώτοι νόμοι παγκοσμίως για την προστασία των πουλιών”. Σαλαπάτας, Δημήτρης,
“Άγιος Κάθμπερτ. Μοναχός, Ερημίτης, Επίσκοπος και Άγιος”, Ανάκτιση, Τεύχος ΙΑ’, Οκτώβριος 2008, p. 5-6
[6]
Diocese of Sourozh, http://www.sourozh.org/british-saints-entries/2009/9/14/the-holy-hierarch-cuthbert-bishop-of-lindisfarne-687-commemo.html,
16/08/2012, 23.01
[7]
Archdiocese of Thyatiera and Great Britain, http://www.thyateira.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=265&Itemid=151,
16/08/2012, 16.45
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