Orthodox Christianity in the British Isles Saint Alphege the Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury Alphege was born of noble and virtuous parents, who gave him a good education. He served God first in the monastery of Deerhurst in Gloucestershire. His desire of greater perfection taught him always to think that he had not yet begun to live to God. After some years he left Deerhurst, and built himself a cell in a desert place of the abbey of Bath, where he shut himself up, unknown to men, but well known to God, for whose love he made himself a voluntary martyr of repentance. His virtue, after some time, shone to men the brighter through the veils of his humility, and many noblemen and others addressed themselves to him for instruction in the paths of perfection, and he was at length obliged to take upon himself the direction of the great abbey of Bath.
Perfection is more difficult to maintain in monastic houses with large communities.
The good abbot would not tolerate the least relaxation in his community, being sensible how small a breach may totally destroy the regularity of a house. When St Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester died in 984, St Dunstan, being admonished by St Andrew in a vision, obliged our holy abbot to quit his solitude and accept episcopal consecration. The virtues of Alphege became more conspicuous in this high station, though he was no more than thirty years of age when he was first placed in it. In winter, howsoever cold it was, he always rose at midnight, went out, and prayed a long time barefoot, and without his upper garment. He never eat meat unless on extraordinary occasions.