1,000 British & Celtic Saints Who Flourished Before Augustine of Canterbury. A NEW PUBLICATION AT O.C.C.
A new historical catalogue documenting the principal Saints of the ancient British and Celtic Churches before Augustine’s arrival in A.D. 597.
1,000 British & Celtic Saints Who Flourished Before the Arrival of Augustine the Roman
This edition presents more than 250 principal Saints of the ancient British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Armorican (Breton), and Celtic Churches of Gaul who flourished before and during the lifetime of St. Augustine of Canterbury (A.D. 597–605).
The catalogue demonstrates the remarkable depth and continuity of the ancient Celtic Church. Long before Augustine’s mission to the Anglo-Saxons, Britain and her sister Churches possessed bishops, monasteries, missionaries, schools, confessors, martyrs, royal saints, and flourishing Christian communities whose influence extended throughout western Europe.
The Orthodox Church of the Culdees recognizes well over 1,000 Saints of the pre-Augustinian Churches of Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Armorica (Brittany), and the Celtic Churches of Gaul. This publication presents the principal commemorations from that wider tradition and serves as the foundation for a future expanded Synaxarion.
Download the PDF here: https://celticorthodoxy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Celtic-Saints-Before-Augustine.pdf
This catalogue also serves as a companion to numerous studies available on CelticOrthodoxy.com documenting the apostolic origins of the British Church, its ancient episcopate, its missionary work throughout Europe, and the continued witness of the Orthodox Church of the Culdees within the historic Western Orthodox tradition.
Among the subjects explored are:
Britain’s apostolic foundations in the First Century.
The ancient bishoprics and monasteries that flourished before Augustine’s arrival.
The missionary work of the Celtic Churches throughout Britain and continental Europe.
Historical testimonies from early Fathers, councils, chroniclers, and later ecclesiastical historians concerning the antiquity of the British Church.
The recognition of Britain’s ancient Christian heritage within both Eastern and Western ecclesiastical traditions.
I hope this work proves useful to clergy, historians, students, and all who desire to learn more about the remarkable witness of the ancient Celtic Churches.
Note: This publication is the scholarly reference edition. A separate liturgical calendar edition, arranged by the annual commemorations of the Saints together with daily liturgical guidance, is available to members and serious inquirers upon request.
Download PDF: https://celticorthodoxy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Celtic-Saints-Before-Augustine.pdf
In Christ,
Dr. Stephen M. K. Brunswick
Orthodox Church of the Culdees
CelticOrthodoxy.com