Edward the Confessor century until the destruction of the regalia by Oliver Cromwell in 1649. 13 October is an optional feast day for Edward the Confessor in the Catholic Church of England and Wales, and the Church of England's calendar of saints designates it as a Lesser Festival. Edward is regarded as a patron saint of difficult marriages. The "Vita Ædwardi Regis" states "[H]e was a very proper figure of a man—of outstanding height, and distinguished by his milky white hair and beard, full face and rosy cheeks, thin white hands, and long translucent fingers; in all the rest of his body he
Confessor of the Faith death for their faith. Among writers St. Cyprian is the first in whose works it occurs. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title is given to male saints and blesseds who were not martyred. Historically, the title Confessor was given to those who had suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of martyrdom. As Christianity emerged as the dominant religion in Europe by the fifth century, persecutions became rare, and the title was given to male saints who lived a holy life and died in peace. Perhaps the best-known individual associated with the title is