St. Alban
The First Martyr of Britain, c. 304
The Feast of St. Alban is celebrated on the twenty-second of June.
There were probably Christians in the British Isles in the first century. However, Alban is the first recorded Christian martyr.
Alban was a pagan, and a soldier in the Roman Army. He gave shelter to a Christian priest who was fleeing from arrest, and in the next few days the two talked at length, and Alban became a Christian. When officers came in search of the priest, Alban met them, dressed in the priest's cloak, and they mistook him for the priest and arrested him. He refused to renounce his new faith, and was beheaded. He thus became the first Christian martyr in Britain.
Join us at St. Alban's as we work to strengthen our faith.