Saint
Etheldreda of Ely
Saint Etheldreda of Ely
New Calendar June 23 Old Calendar July 6
Why they are a saint
Æthelthryth was an East Anglian princess, a Fenland and Northumbrian queen and Abbess of Ely. She is an Anglo-Saxon saint, and is also known as Etheldreda or Audrey, especially in religious contexts. She was a daughter of Anna, King of East Anglia, and her siblings were Wendreda and Seaxburh of Ely, both of whom eventually retired from secular life and founded abbeys. Æthelthryth was "in turns, princess, wife, queen, nun and abbess, enjoying every possible position of power a woman could claim in early Anglo-Saxon England".
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Etheldreda of Ely as a patron when they bear the name Etheldreda at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on June 23.
Prayer
O holy Etheldreda of Ely, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.