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Biography: Alban, First Martyr of Britain (22 Jun 304)
There were probably Christians in the British Isles already in the first century. However, Alban is the first recorded Christian martyr. The traditional date of his death
is 304, during the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian; but many scholars now date it as around 209, during the persecution under the Emperor Septimius
Severus. 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. [eng]
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CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Alban, Saint
First martyr of Britain, suffered c. 304. The commonly received account of the
martyrdom of St. Alban meets us as early as the pages of Bede's "Ecclesiastical
History" (Bk. I, chs. vii and xviii). According to this, St. Alban was a pagan
living at Verulamium (now the town of St. Albans in Hertfordshire), when a
persecution of the Christians broke out, and a certain cleric flying for his life
took refuge in Alban's house. [eng]
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Patron Saints Index: Saint Alban
Patron Saint Index profile of Saint Alban; illustrated. [eng]
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Icon of St. Alban, Protomartyr of Britain
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