Issue 41 Spring web - Flipbook - Page 32
the story of St Alban
and St Amphibalus
The earliest account of the story simply states that an
unnamed Christian priest, who was fleeing from persecution, was offered shelter by Alban, a local Roman citizen
of the town Verulamium.
The Priest is first recorded by name as ‘Amphibalus’ in
1135 by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his History of the Kings
of Britain.
Because of the exchange of cloaks to enable the priest to
escape, Geoffrey called the priest Amphibalus, meaning
roughly ‘the cloaked one’.
This was around the year 300, when Christianity could
still not be openly practised in the Roman Empire.
Alban was so impressed by the priest’s teaching that he
became a Christian. When soldiers searched for the priest,
Alban exchanged cloaks with him. This enabled the priest
to escape dressed in the garb of a local citizen. Alban gave
himself up and was arrested in the priest’s place.
The Chronicles of St Alban’s Abbey record that in 1178
Robert Mercer, a local townsman, had a vision of St
Alban.
Alban wanted Robert to find the remains of his priest and
teacher, Amphibalus. In the vision Robert was shown the
burial place a few miles away in Redbourn, the traditional
site of the priest’s martyrdom.
Alban refused to give up his new-found faith and was tried
and executed. Tradition says that after Alban’s execution
the priest fled to Wales where his preaching persuaded
many to become Christians.
Under Robert’s direction, graves were uncovered on
Redbourn Heath and the bones that were found were declared to be that of the martyr and his nine companions.
Swords lay near the bodies and one body had two large
knives in the skull and heart: this was proclaimed as that
of St Amphibalus.
However, he was followed by his persecutors, captured
and brought back in chains to Verulamium, eventually
being executed at nearby Redbourn.
Amphibalus is the name now given to that original
unnamed priest who inspired Alban to become a Christian.
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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