Cephalophores

late 14th-century Middle English chivalric romance

3rd-century Bishop of Paris and saint

Occitan troubadour

Serbian prince of Duklja, Serbian Orthodox Christian saint (990-1016)

Helier (died 555) was a 6th-century ascetic hermit. He is the patron saint of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in particular of the town and parish of Saint Helier, the island's capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases of the skin and eyes.

early Islamic scholar and son of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib

Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic saints

St. Quiteria was a fifth-century saint and virgin martyr about whom little is certain except her name, the date, place, and cause of her death, and existence of her cult. She is listed under the date of 22 May in the Roman Martyrology. She is one of the patron saints of Toledo, Spain. Accounts of her life include refusal to marry, protection for the vulnerable, and waging a guerilla war against the Roman Empire.

thumb|Relics of Saint Justus, Antwerp Denis of Paris|upright|thumb A cephalophore (from the Greek for 'head-carrier') is a saint who is generally depicted carrying their severed head. In Christian art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading. Depicting the requisite halo in this circumstance offers a unique challenge for the artist: some put the halo where the head used to be, and others have the saint carrying the halo along with the head. Associated legends often tell of the saint standing and carrying their head after the beheading.

Missionary and martyr

Bishop of Rheims

Arthurian legendary character

Saint Emygdius (Latin: Emidius, Æmedius, Emigdius, Hemigidius; ; – AD) was a Christian bishop who is venerated as a martyr. Tradition states that he was killed during the persecution of Diocletian.

Carolingian saint

Christian martyr

Osgyth (or Osyth; died 700 AD) was a Mercian noblewoman and prioress, venerated as an English saint since the 8th century, from soon after her death. She is primarily commemorated in the village of St Osyth, in Essex, near Colchester. Alternative spellings of her name include Sythe, Othith and Ositha. Born of a noble family, she became a nun and founded a priory near Chich which was later named after her.

Greek saint

Aphrodisius () is a saint associated with the diocese of Béziers, in Languedoc, Southern France.

Saint Minias (died 250 AD), also known as Minas () or Miniatus (), is venerated as the first Christian martyr of Florence. The church of San Miniato al Monte is dedicated to him. According to legend, he was an Armenian king or prince serving in the Roman Army – or making a penitential pilgrimage to Rome – who had decided to become a hermit near Florence.

Catholic saint

Gallo-Roman saint

St Miliau or Miliav is a Breton saint and eponym of the village of Guimiliau, where he is particularly venerated. He is said to be a good saint to invoke in cases of rheumatism. St Miliau is a figure of some importance in Breton cult and legend. He is sometimes represented as a cephalophore, i.e. holding his own severed head. It is hard to be sure what historical core there might be to the legends.

Gallo-Roman saint

cornish saint

Saint Noyale (), also known as Noaluen, was a semi-legendary 5th-century Celtic saint and virgin martyr. She is a popular saint in both Brittany and Cornwall, where she is memorialized at Newlyn East. According to legend, it is there that a fig tree growing from the south wall of the church grew from Noyale's staff. A holy well nearby was the site of her martyrdom. She was one of the numerous Celtic settlers who travelled to Brittany during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England.

Catholic Saint

5th c. Welsh and Cornish saint

Saint Chrysolius () the Armenian is the patron saint of Komen/Comines, today in Belgium and France; his relics were venerated in the basilica of St Donatian, Bruges.

apostle of the Vexin

4th century priest and saint

Gallo-Roman saints

Theonistus (Theonist, Teonesto, Thaumastus, Thaumastos, Theonestus, Thonistus, Onistus, Teonisto, Tonisto) is a saint venerated by the Catholic Church. Theonistus is venerated with two companions, Tabra and Tabratha (also Tabraham and Tubraham). Medieval documents give accounts of his life, which are contradictory and confusing.