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Saint Alban
British protomartyr
Feast: 22 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Alban, the first martyr of Britain, was a pagan of Verulamium who sheltered a fleeing Christian cleric and, moved by his example, was baptised. When soldiers came, Alban put on the cleric's cloak and gave himself up in his place.
Scourged and refusing to deny his faith, he was beheaded about 304 on the hill where St Albans now stands. He has been venerated in England continuously since the fifth century.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The first martyr of Britain, who gave himself up to save a priest.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Alban
- Wikidata Q312982 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Saint Alban (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.