St Albans Cathedral, St Albans, Hertfordshire

First martyr in England, St Alban has his own pilgrimage route covering 35 miles from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to end at his authentic, fully restored shrine

Highlights

• Relic and shrine of Alban
• Shrine of Amphibalus
• Medieval paintings

St Alban is one of Western Europe’s first saints, a martyr from the Roman era of Christian history. The fact that his medieval shrine still exists is astonishing given the fate of so many saintly tombs over the centuries. This was Britain’s first shrine, and in many ways remains the holiest. The stone structure was reinstated in 1993. More importantly, a relic of the saint was then added in 2002. A large icon completes a remarkable revival of St Alban’s veneration, on the spot where he was martyred 1,700 years ago. 

Almost as impressive, albeit without an actual relic, is the recent reconstruction of the shrine of St Amphibalus, the priest who converted St Alban. A stunning restoration of the stonework was completed in February 2021, making this the only British cathedral to have two medieval pedestal shrines, now in close proximity to one another, as befits two saints whose stories became inextricably linked in life and death. 

The recent history of these two shrines illustrates the ongoing restoration of Britain’s spiritual heritage. But St Alban’s shrine, more than any other, can lay special claim to the affections of British pilgrims. St Alban is the country’s founding saint. His shrine is steadily growing in popularity but has always been peaceful on the numerous occasions I visited while researching this guide. It sits in quiet splendour at the back of St Albans Cathedral. The cathedral itself could not have worked harder to restore St Alban’s place in the country’s spiritual life, with exemplary reverence for other Christian traditions. Indeed, the shrine is the site of regular services by both Catholic and Orthodox priests, among others. 

St Alban is the founding martyr of Christian Britain, a man who died for his faith during the Roman-era persecutions. He is one of the first-named martyrs and saints of Western and Northern Europe, remembered across Christendom. One of Switzerland’s largest summer festivals is called Albanifest, held in the city of Winterthur. Pilgrims from all over Europe therefore visit St Albans, which is only 20 minutes by train from central London. Prayer sheets have been provided at the shrine, translated into a wide range of languages. A panel of photographs nearby shows Russian Orthodox priests holding one of their regular liturgies near this shrine chapel. 

There is clear early historical evidence about St Alban’s veneration as a martyr, even when compared to much later British saints. For example, he is mentioned in three surviving documents written before the Venerable Bede’s 8th-century History. But Bede, as always, tells the most complete life story. St Alban was a Roman citizen of British descent who lived in the town of Verulamium, which is now St Albans. One day he gave sanctuary to St Amphibalus, a priest who was attempting to hide from the authorities. St Alban was converted by the priest and became so convinced by his new faith he disguised himself in Amphibalus’ clothes and allowed the priest to slip away unnoticed. 

St Alban was duly hauled before the local judge, who challenged him to make a sacrifice to the pagan gods. St Alban refused, in words often quoted during the cathedral’s prayers: “I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.” St Alban’s fate was sealed, and he was led away to execution at the top of the hill in Verulamium. Archaeologists have found a Roman cemetery on the hill next to the cathedral, along with traces of a possible early church. The evidence for St Alban is compelling and has substance. As for the tale of his holy body, it is always worth questioning stories about medieval relics. The bone that is now housed in the cathedral’s shrine has a relatively long history. It is the saint’s shoulder blade and was kept at the Church of St Pantaleon in Cologne from the 10th century onwards. The relic was returned to St Albans and placed inside the original 13th-century shrine structure in 2002. The shrine stands where it was originally installed, in a purpose-built chapel behind the high altar. A wooden balcony alongside was used by monks to keep watch over their precious saint. 

If you look closely, the shrine structure reveals its own eventful history during the Reformation. It was smashed to pieces in December 1539 and used as building material for a wall. The shattered remains were rediscovered in 1872, comprising more than 2,000 fragments. They did a pretty good job of reassembling this jigsaw, and it now looks and feels as complete as any medieval shrine in England. We do not know what became of the relics that were stored in the shrine. They could have been reburied under the cathedral floor, or taken away to safety abroad. A church at Odense in Denmark, in addition to the shrine in Cologne, claims other relics of St Alban. 

The restored shrine of St Amphibalus, the priest who converted St Alban to Christianity, was moved after its restoration in early 2021 to a spot just a few metres from St Alban’s shrine, in a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Four Tapers. Though Amphibalus initially escaped, thanks to St Alban, he was later captured and returned to Verulamium for execution, according to medieval accounts.

The story of St Amphibalus’ relics contrasts sharply with those of St Alban. The priest was buried in an unmarked grave, only to be miraculously rediscovered 800 years later, in the town of Redbourn 4 miles north-west of St Albans. This second shrine was also built in the 14th century, although it is worth looking out for a modern touch among the newly added carvings: a figure wearing a face mask, paying homage to the fact that its restoration took place during the coronavirus pandemic.

St Amphibalus is not actually the second martyr in Britain: one of the executioners charged with killing St Alban refused to perform the deed, so impressed was he by the saint’s faith. He was executed at the same time– making him a rare example of a Christian martyr baptised by his own blood. Bede recorded that the replacement executioner’s eyes fell out the moment he struck the fatal blow.

Such gory details do add colour to the lives of saints. The cathedral’s gift shop sold comedy glasses with eyes that pop out on springs. A priest I know of groaned at the thought, but his son was adamant this stopped St Albans being boring.

St Alban probably died during one of three Roman-era persecutions of Christians. The earliest possible date is 204 under emperor Septimus Severus, then 254 under emperor Decius. However most historians believe a date of 305 under Diocletian is most likely. This was the last persecution before Constantine the Great legalised Christianity in 313.

There are two other British martyrs of roughly the same date as St Alban, the Welsh pair St Julius and St Aaron of Caerleon. The 6th-century writer St Gildas refers to these two, along with St Alban, as martyrs during the Roman-era persecutions.

St Gildas also alludes to others ‘of both sexes’. Britain doesn’t celebrate a female protomartyr. St Ia, founder of St Ives in Cornwall, is one possible candidate identified during my survey of Britain’s holiest places. There may be other contenders for the title.

St Germanus of Auxerre visited St Alban’s shrine in 429 and took away some of the blood-stained earth that marked the spot where he was executed. Bede describes the town’s 8th-century buildings as “a beautiful church worthy of his martyrdom… where sick folk are healed and frequent miracles take place to this day” (History i.7).

The church that Bede refers to was founded by King Offa in 793. By the time of the Reformation, St Albans had grown to become England’s foremost Benedictine abbey. The abbey church was transferred to the town for use by the parish. It was restored by the Victorians and turned into a cathedral in 1877.

The cathedral has the longest nave in England, with fine medieval wall paintings including a series of crucifixion images on the pillars along the north side. Painted in the 13th and 14th centuries, they show different aspects of Christ’s Passion.

Ruins of the Roman settlement can be seen in the park below the cathedral. A museum there adds further context to the life and times of St Alban.

St Alban’s Well There is – or rather was – a holy well linked to Alban’s death. Bede records that the saint walked to the top of a hill for his execution. On the way, the River Ver, which runs along the bottom of the hill, temporarily dried up so he could cross to his martyrdom without delay. Then halfway up the hill, he prayed for a source of water.

St Alban’s Well is hard to find in the middle of a modern housing estate, 400m south of the cathedral. It sits in a small, sunken area within a neatly tended lawn, but the well chamber itself is covered by heavy metal bars, and as far, as I could tell is now dry.

Directions

St Albans Cathedral, George Street, St Albans AL3 4EZ

www.stalbanscathedral.org

W3W: take.clean.grit

GPS: 51.7507N 0.3431W cathedral

W3W: crops.ship.diner

GPS: 51.7473N 0.3408W well

St Albans Abbey railway station 700m

The cathedral is open every day from 8:30 am–5:30 pm. Admission is free, and donations are welcome. Parking near the cathedral is very restricted, town centre parking is advised if driving. To find the holy well, walk down Holywell Hill(the A5183) from the eastern end of the cathedral. Turn left into Belmont Hill and after 50m turn right on the first footpath. Walk past the end of a row of houses and the well is in the grassy area directly in front of you, 50m from Belmont Hill Road. The Verulamium Museum is in Verulamium Park, a 10-minute walk from the cathedral. It is open on–Sat 10 am–5 pm, Sun 2 pm–5 pm. Tickets £6 adults, concessions £4, children £3, under 5s free.

See www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk